Cosmos, Creator, and Human Destiny

Cosmos, Creator, and Human Destiny
Author: Dave Hunt
Publisher: Berean Call
Total Pages: 610
Release: 2016-09
Genre:
ISBN: 9781681380124

Why are we here?And where are we going?Does science have an answer to these two most fundamental questions of human existence? Can mankind determine and direct the future of life on earth purely by scientific means? Plagued by the failure of modern science to explain the most pressing questions of human existence, many of today's postmoderns are once again boldly going where man has gone before in a desperate final quest for the hidden "holy grail" of cosmology.Erwin Schrödinger, the famed Austrian theoretical physicist who received the Nobel Prize in 1933 for his contributions to quantum mechanics, confided: "[Science] knows nothing of . . . good or bad, God and eternity. . . . Whence came I and whither go I? That is the great unfathomable question. . . . Science has no answer to it."Echoing this dilemma, British astrophysicist Sir Arthur S. Eddington, famous for his work on the theory of relativity in the early 20th century, also reasoned: "Thus, in the physical world, what a body does and what a body ought to do are equivalent; but we are well aware of another domain where they are anything but equivalent.... There is a clear distinction between natural law, which must be obeyed, and moral law, which ought to be obeyed. Ought takes us outside of physics and chemistry."Postmodern thinkers take pride in the perpetual pursuit ot knowledge--but the questions for readers now holding this book are clear: How will you recognize the seemingly elusive chalice of "ultimate truth" when it actually appears? And finally, what will you do with it when this coveted cup is within your grasp?In a sweeping panorama of inquiry and exploration, the timeless quest within these pages leads grail-seekers and skeptics alike to a destiny-altering consideration of the cosmos--and the question of human existence.

Cosmic Evolution

Cosmic Evolution
Author: Eric J. Chaisson
Publisher: Harvard University Press
Total Pages: 288
Release: 2001-02-16
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0674009878

Chaisson addresses some of the most basic issues we can contemplate: the origin of matter and the origin of life, and the ways matter, life, and radiation interact and change with time. He designs for us an expansive yet intricate model depicting the origin and evolution of all material structures.

Human Purpose and Transhuman Potential

Human Purpose and Transhuman Potential
Author: Ted Chu
Publisher: Red Wheel/Weiser
Total Pages: 422
Release: 2014-03-01
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1579830234

For millennia, great thinkers have contemplated the meaning and purpose of human existence; but while most assumed that humanity was the end point of creation or the pinnacle of evolution, Ted Chu makes the provocative claim that the human race may in fact be a means rather than an end—that humankind will give rise to evolutionary successors. In this wide-ranging and authoritative work, Chu reexamines the question of human purpose in light of the extraordinary developments of science and technology. Arguing that a deep understanding of our place in the universe is required to navigate the magnitude of the choices that lie ahead, he surveys human wisdom from both East and West, traces the evolutionary trajectory that has led to this point, and explores the potentials emerging on the scientific frontier. The book addresses the legitimate fears and concerns of “playing God” but embraces the possibility of transcending biological forms and becoming or creating entirely new life-forms.

Origins

Origins
Author: Lewis Dartnell
Publisher: Basic Books
Total Pages: 348
Release: 2019-05-14
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1541617894

A New York Times-bestselling author explains how the physical world shaped the history of our species When we talk about human history, we often focus on great leaders, population forces, and decisive wars. But how has the earth itself determined our destiny? Our planet wobbles, driving changes in climate that forced the transition from nomadism to farming. Mountainous terrain led to the development of democracy in Greece. Atmospheric circulation patterns later on shaped the progression of global exploration, colonization, and trade. Even today, voting behavior in the south-east United States ultimately follows the underlying pattern of 75 million-year-old sediments from an ancient sea. Everywhere is the deep imprint of the planetary on the human. From the cultivation of the first crops to the founding of modern states, Origins reveals the breathtaking impact of the earth beneath our feet on the shape of our human civilizations.

Behave

Behave
Author: Robert M. Sapolsky
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 801
Release: 2018-05-01
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0143110918

New York Times bestseller • Winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize • One of the Washington Post's 10 Best Books of the Year “It’s no exaggeration to say that Behave is one of the best nonfiction books I’ve ever read.” —David P. Barash, The Wall Street Journal "It has my vote for science book of the year.” —Parul Sehgal, The New York Times "Immensely readable, often hilarious...Hands-down one of the best books I’ve read in years. I loved it." —Dina Temple-Raston, The Washington Post From the bestselling author of A Primate's Memoir and the forthcoming Determined: A Science of Life Without Free Will comes a landmark, genre-defining examination of human behavior and an answer to the question: Why do we do the things we do? Behave is one of the most dazzling tours d’horizon of the science of human behavior ever attempted. Moving across a range of disciplines, Sapolsky—a neuroscientist and primatologist—uncovers the hidden story of our actions. Undertaking some of our thorniest questions relating to tribalism and xenophobia, hierarchy and competition, and war and peace, Behave is a towering achievement—a majestic synthesis of cutting-edge research and a heroic exploration of why we ultimately do the things we do . . . for good and for ill.

On Being Human

On Being Human
Author: Daisaku Ikeda
Publisher: PUM
Total Pages: 263
Release: 2002
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 276061798X

À première vue, l'humanisme occidental, le bouddhisme japonais et la science moderne ont si peu en commun que l'idée même de rechercher un terrain d'entente par le dialogue semble trop idéaliste. Seul un homme du calibre de daisaku ikeda pourrait mener à bien un tel projet. Faisant fi du cliché et des réponses faciles, il aborde les grandes questions auxquelles la société d'aujourd'hui est confrontée: cancer, sida, mort dignement, fécondation in vitro, éthique biomédicale... Les réponses apportées par René Simard, biologiste moléculaire et généticien, et Guy Bourgeault, bioéthicien , sont perspicaces et convaincantes. Leurs discussions ont franchi les barrières linguistiques et culturelles pour présenter une vision du potentiel - et des défis inhérents - à l'être humain.

Epic of Evolution

Epic of Evolution
Author: Eric Chaisson
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Total Pages: 514
Release: 2006
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9780231135603

Along the way he examines the development of the most microscopic and the most immense aspects of our universe and the complex ways in which they interact."--Jacket.

Nature's Destiny

Nature's Destiny
Author: Michael Denton
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 482
Release: 2002-02
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0743237625

A leading evolutionary thinker, biologist, and medical researcher asks the question: "Could life elsewhere be substantially different from life on Earth?"--and builds a step-by-step argument for human inevitability. 65 illustrations and photos.

Life 3.0

Life 3.0
Author: Max Tegmark
Publisher: Vintage
Total Pages: 385
Release: 2017-08-29
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 1101946601

New York Times Best Seller How will Artificial Intelligence affect crime, war, justice, jobs, society and our very sense of being human? The rise of AI has the potential to transform our future more than any other technology—and there’s nobody better qualified or situated to explore that future than Max Tegmark, an MIT professor who’s helped mainstream research on how to keep AI beneficial. How can we grow our prosperity through automation without leaving people lacking income or purpose? What career advice should we give today’s kids? How can we make future AI systems more robust, so that they do what we want without crashing, malfunctioning or getting hacked? Should we fear an arms race in lethal autonomous weapons? Will machines eventually outsmart us at all tasks, replacing humans on the job market and perhaps altogether? Will AI help life flourish like never before or give us more power than we can handle? What sort of future do you want? This book empowers you to join what may be the most important conversation of our time. It doesn’t shy away from the full range of viewpoints or from the most controversial issues—from superintelligence to meaning, consciousness and the ultimate physical limits on life in the cosmos.

Cosmos & Culture: Cultural Evolution in a Cosmic Context

Cosmos & Culture: Cultural Evolution in a Cosmic Context
Author: Steven J. Dick
Publisher: Government Printing Office
Total Pages: 566
Release: 2012-01-27
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0160897416

NOTE: NO FURTHER DISCOUNT FOR THIS PRINT PRODUCT--OVERSTOCK SALE -- Significantly reduced list price During the last 50 years, coincident with the Space Age, cosmic evolution has been recognized as the master narrative of the universe, history writ large. Cosmic evolution includes physical, biological, and cultural evolution, and of these the latter is by far the most rapid. In this volume, authors with diverse backgrounds in science, history, anthropology, and more, consider culture in the context of the cosmos. How does our knowledge of cosmic evolution affect terrestrial culture? Conversely, how does our knowledge of cultural evolution affect our thinking about possible cultures in the cosmos? Are life, mind, and culture of fundamental significance to the grand story of the cosmos that has generated its own self-understanding through science, rational reasoning, and mathematics? Might this lead to cultural evolution on a large enough scale to allow the universe to both create and steer itself toward its own destiny? Related products: NASA's First 50 Years: Historical Perspectives; NASA 50 Anniversary Proceedings can be found here: https://bookstore.gpo.gov/products/sku/033-000-01336-1 Bringing the Future Within Reach: Celebrating 75 Years of the NASA John H. Glenn Research Center, 1941-2016 can be found here: https://bookstore.gpo.gov/products/sku/033-000-01377-9 Other products produced by National Aerounautics and Space Administration (NASA) can be found here: https://bookstore.gpo.gov/agency/550