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Physorg Community Book Recommendations., Tops in their fields & book discussions.| photojack |
Posted: Mar 28 2008, 05:21 AM
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Rationality personified.  Group: Power Member Posts: 1858 Joined: 5-December 06 Positive Feedback: 83.93% Feedback Score: 73  |
"Build it, and they will come!"
 As uaafanblog wished recently, and I proposed months ago, let's start a book forum, partly to optimize the exchange of ideas academically, and for the best recommendations for the "science challenged" who sometimes post here.  With them in mind, I have recently, in several threads recommended Dr. Carl Sagan's "Pale Blue Dot." In it, that inveterate popularizer of science for the masses explains the origin of the universe, our solar system, the origin of life and its subsequent development for the non-specialist with simplicity, eloquence and beauty, all of course without any supernatural elements involved. Pure science, with its intrigue and mystique for all to appreciate and understand. Science 101 for the masses!  Let's add other recommendations, specialized and general for their merit and modernity, their timelessness and their cutting edge ideas.  -------------------- Darwin was a keen observer and theorist and his theory is PROVEN beyond a shadow of a doubt. The only reason it is still called a theory is because it can't be proven in the same way a mathematical theorem can. That is a problem with semantics, NOT the science!
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| TheDoc |
 Posted: Mar 28 2008, 05:38 AM
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Madman with a box Group: Power Member Posts: 2808 Joined: 6-March 08 Positive Feedback: 55.56% Feedback Score: 128 |
I recommend an 8th Grade science textbook to begin, and then we'll work from there.
 -------------------- Member of Forum Mafia
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| N O M |
Posted: Mar 28 2008, 07:24 AM
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on holiday, get your abuse elsewhere Group: Members Posts: 3691 Joined: 4-December 06 Positive Feedback: 56.72% Feedback Score: 94 |
-------------------- Proud owner of negative feedback from: 555Joshua, alokmohan, bee, BigFairy, Bi shadi, Bloy, Bryn Richards, bukh, Confused2, DavidD, deadbeat, Derek1148, eyeque, Farsight, fivedoughnut, freethis, Gizmo, Gorgeous, howtothinklikegod, inQZtive, insight, kaneda, landon, LeTUOtter, Majkl, meBigGirl'sBlouse, Mediocre-Minded, midwestern, Mike Adams, Mirrorman, Morpheus, Mr. Robin Parsons, newton, Nick, on2thiests, oracle1, philip347, PIATLAS, PJParent001, Precursor562, Quatermass, Raphie Frank, reasonwhy, rethinker, Samantha Hildreth, A•SHEOL, Solid State Universe, Soultechs, Squeeze, SteveA2, StevenA, stundie, Sylwester Kornowski, (name removed by request), ubavontuba, vkamath, wbraxtonwilson, xtrmn8r, Zarabtul, Zephir, [please insert name here]
"A quotation is a handy thing to have about, saving one the trouble of thinking for oneself." - A. A. Milne |
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| Gorgeous |
Posted: Mar 28 2008, 09:08 AM
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An actual person Group: Members Posts: 2933 Joined: 11-January 07 Positive Feedback: 73.33% Feedback Score: 51 |
-------------------- "Science is the belief in the ignorance of experts."
(Richard Feynman, The Pleasure of Finding Things Out (1999) In order to fool others, we must firstly be able to fool ourselves: Who ya gonna fool? © If I sit atop a hill looking down into the valley below, I see waves, I feel waves, I smell and hear waves. The crops in the fields below sway in waves just like the water of the ocean does, and sound waves come and go. From this simple and empirical premise alone, the Wave-Structure of Matter is just leaps and bounds ahead in terms of plausible description for that which we observe. It thus comes as no surprise whatsoever, for those whose minds are fixed on Reality, to learn that the REAL 'equations' will also match up...If your 'math' or your 'physics' does not plausibly explain that which we observe empirically, it has not yet reached the same level of understanding that WSM presents: http://www.spaceandmotion.com/ |
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| TheDoc |
Posted: Mar 28 2008, 05:33 PM
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Madman with a box Group: Power Member Posts: 2808 Joined: 6-March 08 Positive Feedback: 55.56% Feedback Score: 128 |
Hmm! This should get us started on the right track! -------------------- Member of Forum Mafia
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| Empress Palpatine |
Posted: Mar 29 2008, 10:21 PM
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Dark Lady of the Sith Group: Power Member Posts: 1106 Joined: 21-June 07 Positive Feedback: 91.07% Feedback Score: 68 |
A while back there was a thread about recommended books. It would be good to dig it up again.
-------------------- "Traveling through hyperspace ain't like dusting crops, boy!" Han Solo
"Lost a planet Master Obi Wan has, how embarrassing, how embarrassing." Yoda |
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| photojack |
Posted: Mar 29 2008, 10:31 PM
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Rationality personified. Group: Power Member Posts: 1858 Joined: 5-December 06 Positive Feedback: 83.93% Feedback Score: 73 |
DuzmA quote. (And what instigated this thread!
 )This IS the book I thought it was! Perhaps including the subtitle would pique more interest - "Strategies of Human Mating." There's another book, I can't think of its title right now, that covers the evolution of the five senses through the animal kingdom and up to mankind's most current research. That of course, relates to the sensual/sexual human mating behaviors in Buss's book. -------------------- Darwin was a keen observer and theorist and his theory is PROVEN beyond a shadow of a doubt. The only reason it is still called a theory is because it can't be proven in the same way a mathematical theorem can. That is a problem with semantics, NOT the science!
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| Empress Palpatine |
Posted: Mar 30 2008, 06:23 PM
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Dark Lady of the Sith Group: Power Member Posts: 1106 Joined: 21-June 07 Positive Feedback: 91.07% Feedback Score: 68 |
For serious book recommendations, I dug up the old book thread.
http://www.physforum.com/index.php?showtopic=17045 This is of course, for physics and science books. -------------------- "Traveling through hyperspace ain't like dusting crops, boy!" Han Solo
"Lost a planet Master Obi Wan has, how embarrassing, how embarrassing." Yoda |
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| photojack |
Posted: Apr 3 2008, 02:01 PM
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Rationality personified. Group: Power Member Posts: 1858 Joined: 5-December 06 Positive Feedback: 83.93% Feedback Score: 73 |
Thank you Empress Palpatine. I wasn't aware of that much earlier book thread, though it is concentrating on physics only. In light of its style and format, here's some links to get this thread to concentrate on the newest developments and research concerning evolution and the natural sciences.
From: http://mbe.oxfordjournals.org/ MBE (Molecular Biology and Evolution) has abstracts of all articles and selected free full access articles, just like the PNAS (Proceedings of The National Academy of Sciences.)
From: http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/abstract/0704422105v1?etoc
These are further examples of the newest research from disciplines Darwin could not have imagined, verifying his theory, with the fine adjustments and modifications expected from such new developments. How many editions has "The Molecular Biology of the Gene" by Watson gone through and how many co-authors have been added? This ever-changing field fully warrants these revisions. I have an 1870's second edition of Darwin's "Descent of Man" in the preface of which he answers some of the criticisms from the first edition. Darwin's great grandson contributed to the PBS documentary on Kitzmiller vs. Dover, the "Intelligent Design" lawsuit which resulted in the total defeat and exposure of their strategies and beliefs. LONG LIVE SCIENCE! -------------------- Darwin was a keen observer and theorist and his theory is PROVEN beyond a shadow of a doubt. The only reason it is still called a theory is because it can't be proven in the same way a mathematical theorem can. That is a problem with semantics, NOT the science!
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| AlphaNumeric |
Posted: Apr 3 2008, 02:06 PM
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Professional mathematician Group: Power Member Posts: 10336 Joined: 16-June 06 Positive Feedback: 84.15% Feedback Score: 420 |
For the simple foundations of mathematics, like how proof works and the notions like the natural numbers, induction, cardinality etc I recommend
Tim Gowers - A Short Introduction to Mathematics Aimed firmly at the layman who wants to understand a bit of what mathematicians do and what maths beyond school involves, at least initially. A similar but more advanced book is Russell - An Introduction to Mathematical Philosophy Similar style, just longer and written with Russell's typically excellent style. -------------------- The views in the above post are those of its author and not those of the people who educated him through a degree and masters, supervised him or collaborated with him during his PhD, paid him to teach and mark undergraduate mathematics and physics courses or who pay him to do research now.
Any insults, flames or rants are purely the work of the author and not said people or institutions. Cranks are not suffered well. |
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| Gorgeous |
Posted: Apr 3 2008, 02:32 PM
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An actual person Group: Members Posts: 2933 Joined: 11-January 07 Positive Feedback: 73.33% Feedback Score: 51 |
-------------------- "Science is the belief in the ignorance of experts."
(Richard Feynman, The Pleasure of Finding Things Out (1999) In order to fool others, we must firstly be able to fool ourselves: Who ya gonna fool? © If I sit atop a hill looking down into the valley below, I see waves, I feel waves, I smell and hear waves. The crops in the fields below sway in waves just like the water of the ocean does, and sound waves come and go. From this simple and empirical premise alone, the Wave-Structure of Matter is just leaps and bounds ahead in terms of plausible description for that which we observe. It thus comes as no surprise whatsoever, for those whose minds are fixed on Reality, to learn that the REAL 'equations' will also match up...If your 'math' or your 'physics' does not plausibly explain that which we observe empirically, it has not yet reached the same level of understanding that WSM presents: http://www.spaceandmotion.com/ |
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