Bridging the Gap between Life and Physics

Bridging the Gap between Life and Physics
Author: Ron Cottam
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 342
Release: 2018-03-19
Genre: Science
ISBN: 3319745336

This is the only book which deals with the correlatory comparison between hierarchical living systems and inorganic physical ones. The culmination of the book is the proposition of research to discover and understand the natural underlying level of organization which produces the descriptive commonality of life and physics. Traditional science eliminates life from its purview by its rejection of interrelationships as a primary content of systems. The conventional procedure of science is that of reductionism, whereby complex systems are dismantled to characterize lower level components, but virtually no attention is given to how to rebuild those systems—the underlying assumption is that analysis and synthesis are symmetrical. This book fulfills two main coupled functions. Firstly, it details hierarchy as the major formulation of natural complex systems and investigates the fundamental character of natural hierarchy as a widely transferable ‘container’ of structure and/or function – and this in the case of the new development of a representational or model hierarchy. Secondly, it couples this hierarchical description to that of the electronic properties of semiconductors, as a well-modeled canonical example of physical properties. The central thesis is that these two descriptions are comparable, if care is taken to treat logical and epistemological aspects with prudence: a large part of the book is composed of just this aspect of care for grounding consistency. As such great attention is given to correct assessment of argumentative features which are otherwise presumed ‘known’ but which are usually left uncertain. Development of the ideas is always based on a relationship between entity or phenomenon and their associated ecosystems, and this applies equally well to the consequent derivations of consciousness and information.

Healing the Rift

Healing the Rift
Author: Leo Kim
Publisher: Cambridge House PressInc
Total Pages: 288
Release: 2010-12-01
Genre: Body, Mind & Spirit
ISBN: 9780982139165

Outlines an organic chemist's long-standing efforts to bridge gaps between spirituality and twenty-first-century science, describing his experiences of working with cancer patients, his philosophies about the existence of God, and his beliefs about the universe's harmonious blending of mind and spirit.

Bridging the Gap between Aristotle's Science and Ethics

Bridging the Gap between Aristotle's Science and Ethics
Author: Devin Henry
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 319
Release: 2015-05-05
Genre: Literary Criticism
ISBN: 1107010365

Explores the extent to which Aristotle's ethical treatises employ the concepts, methods, and practices developed in his 'scientific' works.

Rainbow And The Worm, The: The Physics Of Organisms (3rd Edition)

Rainbow And The Worm, The: The Physics Of Organisms (3rd Edition)
Author: Mae-wan Ho
Publisher: World Scientific Publishing Company
Total Pages: 409
Release: 2008-08-06
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9814338419

This highly unusual book began as a serious inquiry into Schrödinger's question, “What is life?”, and as a celebration of life itself. It takes the reader on a voyage of discovery through many areas of contemporary physics, from non-equilibrium thermodynamics and quantum optics to liquid crystals and fractals, all necessary for illuminating the problem of life. In the process, the reader is treated to a rare and exquisite view of the organism, gaining novel insights not only into the physics, but also into “the poetry and meaning of being alive.”This much-enlarged third edition includes new findings on the central role of biological water in organizing living processes; it also completes the author's novel theory of the organism and its applications in ecology, physiology and brain science.

Bridging the Time Scales

Bridging the Time Scales
Author: Peter Nielaba
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 498
Release: 2007-10-13
Genre: Science
ISBN: 3540458379

The behaviour of many complex materials extends over time- and lengthscales well beyond those that can normally be described using standard molecular dynamics or Monte Carlo simulation techniques. As progress is coming more through refined simulation methods than from increased computer power, this volume is intended as both an introduction and a review of all relevant modern methods that will shape molecular simulation in the forthcoming decade. Written as a set of tutorial reviews, the book will be of use to specialists and nonspecialists alike.

Physics of the Life Sciences

Physics of the Life Sciences
Author: Jay Newman
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 721
Release: 2010-03-23
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0387772596

Each chapter has three types of learning aides for students: open-ended questions, multiple-choice questions, and quantitative problems. There is an average of about 50 per chapter. There are also a number of worked examples in the chapters, averaging over 5 per chapter, and almost 600 photos and line drawings.

Consciousness

Consciousness
Author: Eva Herr
Publisher: Rainbow Ridge
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2012
Genre: Body, Mind & Spirit
ISBN: 9781937907051

Based on interviews with visionary scientists, philosophers, physicists, and critical thinkers, this book takes its readers on an exciting journey of discovery. Eva Herr examines the nature of consciousness; the differences between the mind and the brain, the body and the soul, and energy and physical objects; and much, much more. Throughout, her goal is to enhance our understanding of human and cosmic reality so that we can more effectively interact with the world in which we live.

The Unbearable Wholeness of Being

The Unbearable Wholeness of Being
Author: Ilia Delio
Publisher: Orbis Books
Total Pages: 163
Release: 2013
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1626980292

This title explores the meaning of Christian theology in light of the scientific discoveries of our age. Like Teilhard de Chardin and Thomas Berry, Delio opens out eyes to the omni-active, all-powerful, all-intelligent Love that forms and guides the interrelatedness and interbeing of everything and everyone - ourselves included.

Every Life Is on Fire

Every Life Is on Fire
Author: Jeremy England
Publisher: Basic Books
Total Pages: 185
Release: 2020-09-15
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1541699009

A preeminent physicist unveils a field-defining theory of the origins and purpose of life. Why are we alive? Most things in the universe aren't. And everything that is alive traces back to things that, puzzlingly, weren't. For centuries, the scientific question of life's origins has confounded us. But in Every Life Is on Fire, physicist Jeremy England argues that the answer has been under our noses the whole time, deep within the laws of thermodynamics. England explains how, counterintuitively, the very same forces that tend to tear things apart assembled the first living systems. But how life began isn't just a scientific question. We ask it because we want to know what it really means to be alive. So England, an ordained rabbi, uses his theory to examine how, if at all, science helps us find purpose in a vast and mysterious universe. In the tradition of Viktor Frankl's Man's Search for Meaning, Every Life Is on Fire is a profound testament to how something can come from nothing.

A Passion for Ignorance

A Passion for Ignorance
Author: Renata Salecl
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Total Pages: 216
Release: 2022-11-29
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 0691245711

An original and provocative exploration of our capacity to ignore what is inconvenient or traumatic Ignorance, whether passive or active, conscious or unconscious, has always been a part of the human condition, Renata Salecl argues. What has changed in our post-truth, postindustrial world is that we often feel overwhelmed by the constant flood of information and misinformation. It sometimes seems impossible to differentiate between truth and falsehood and, as a result, there has been a backlash against the idea of expertise, and a rise in the number of people actively choosing not to know. The dangers of this are obvious, but Salecl challenges our assumptions, arguing that there may also be a positive side to ignorance, and that by addressing the role of ignorance in society, we may also be able to reclaim the role of knowledge. Drawing on philosophy, social and psychoanalytic theory, popular culture, and her own experience, Salecl explores how the passion for ignorance plays out in many different aspects of life today, from love, illness, trauma, and the fear of failure to genetics, forensic science, big data, and the incel movement—and she concludes that ignorance is a complex phenomenon that can, on occasion, benefit individuals and society as a whole. The result is a fascinating investigation of how the knowledge economy became an ignorance economy, what it means for us, and what it tells us about the world today.