When Science Meets Power

When Science Meets Power

Author: Geoff Mulgan

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2023-11-08

Total Pages: 199

ISBN-13: 1509553088

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Science and politics have collaborated throughout human history, and science is repeatedly invoked today in political debates, from pandemic management to climate change. But the relationship between the two is muddled and muddied. Leading policy analyst Geoff Mulgan here calls attention to the growing frictions caused by the expanding authority of science, which sometimes helps politics but often challenges it. He dissects the complex history of states’ use of science for conquest, glory and economic growth and shows the challenges of governing risk – from nuclear weapons to genetic modification, artificial intelligence to synthetic biology. He shows why the governance of science has become one of the biggest challenges of the twenty-first century, ever more prominent in daily politics and policy. Whereas science is ordered around what we know and what is, politics engages what we feel and what matters. How can we reconcile the two, so that crucial decisions are both well informed and legitimate? The book proposes new ways to organize democracy and government, both within nations and at a global scale, to better shape science and technology so that we can reap more of the benefits and fewer of the harms.


Where Science Meets Spirit

Where Science Meets Spirit

Author: Brent Phillips

Publisher: Theta Healing La

Published: 2008

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9780980239409

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"Have you ever wondered if there is a scientific explanation for phenomena such as miraculous instant healings? Want to learn a simple, rational, step-by-step technique to fill your life with health, wealth, and love? Are you frustrated with all the self-help books and seminars that don't deliver results for you? Did you know that thousands of people around the world are now using the consciousness technology of Theta Healing and experiencing miraculous instant healings and profound life transformations? Where Science Meets Spirit: The Formula for Miracles bridges the gap between the worlds of science and spirituality by presenting the scientific principles used by healers, mystics, self-help gurus, and miracle workers to manipulate and bend the fabric of reality itself."--Page 4 of cover.


The War on Science

The War on Science

Author: Shawn Otto

Publisher: Milkweed Editions

Published: 2016-06-07

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 1571319522

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An “insightful” and in-depth look at anti-science politics and its deadly results (Maria Konnikova, New York Times–bestselling author of The Biggest Bluff). Thomas Jefferson said, “Wherever the people are well informed, they can be trusted with their own government.” But what happens when they aren’t? From climate change to vaccinations, transportation to technology, health care to defense, we are in the midst of an unprecedented expansion of scientific progress—and a simultaneous expansion of danger. At the very time we need them most, scientists and the very idea of objective knowledge are being bombarded by a vast, well-funded war on science, and the results are deadly. Whether it’s driven by identity politics, ideology, or industry, the result is an unprecedented erosion of thought in Western democracies as voters, policymakers, and justices actively ignore scientific evidence, leaving major policy decisions to be based more on the demands of the most strident voices. This compelling book investigates the historical, social, philosophical, political, and emotional reasons why evidence-based politics are in decline and authoritarian politics are once again on the rise on both left and right—and provides some compelling solutions to bring us to our collective senses, before it's too late. “If you care about attacks on climate science and the rise of authoritarianism, if you care about biased media coverage and shake-your-head political tomfoolery, this book is for you.”—The Guardian


Getting to the Heart of Science Communication

Getting to the Heart of Science Communication

Author: Faith Kearns

Publisher: Island Press

Published: 2021-05-11

Total Pages: 280

ISBN-13: 1642830747

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Scientists today working on controversial issues from climate change to drought to COVID-19 are finding themselves more often in the middle of deeply traumatizing or polarized conflicts they feel unprepared to referee. It is no longer enough for scientists to communicate a scientific topic clearly. They must now be experts not only in their fields of study, but also in navigating the thoughts, feelings, and opinions of members of the public they engage with, and with each other. And the conversations are growing more fraught. In Getting to the Heart of Science Communication, Faith Kearns has penned a succinct guide for navigating the human relationships critical to the success of practice-based science. This meticulously researched volume takes science communication to the next level, helping scientists to see the value of listening as well as talking, understanding power dynamics in relationships, and addressing the roles of trauma, loss, grief, and healing.


The Book of Why

The Book of Why

Author: Judea Pearl

Publisher: Basic Books

Published: 2018-05-15

Total Pages: 432

ISBN-13: 0465097618

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A Turing Award-winning computer scientist and statistician shows how understanding causality has revolutionized science and will revolutionize artificial intelligence "Correlation is not causation." This mantra, chanted by scientists for more than a century, has led to a virtual prohibition on causal talk. Today, that taboo is dead. The causal revolution, instigated by Judea Pearl and his colleagues, has cut through a century of confusion and established causality -- the study of cause and effect -- on a firm scientific basis. His work explains how we can know easy things, like whether it was rain or a sprinkler that made a sidewalk wet; and how to answer hard questions, like whether a drug cured an illness. Pearl's work enables us to know not just whether one thing causes another: it lets us explore the world that is and the worlds that could have been. It shows us the essence of human thought and key to artificial intelligence. Anyone who wants to understand either needs The Book of Why.


The Science of Fitness

The Science of Fitness

Author: Greg LeMond

Publisher: Academic Press

Published: 2014-11-21

Total Pages: 208

ISBN-13: 0128010703

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The Science of Fitness: Power, Performance, and Endurance clearly explains the vital connection between diet and exercise in the human body. With this knowledge, you can use the right exercise and nutrition to obtain a higher quality life, prevent disease, and slow the aging process. Authored in a straightforward style and with color images throughout, this book explores the cellular science behind fitness, protein synthesis, and healthy living. With it you will learn the most recent and important discoveries in the relationships between physical fitness, nutrition, weight loss, and weight management. It provides key information on the body’s mitochondrial processes and their role in aging, along with well-informed discussions on general nutrition, sports nutrition, exercise physiology, how to enhance athletic performance, and how exercise strengthens the mind. Whether you are interested in how to eat healthy, train for your first (or next) marathon, take your fitness to the next level, find the best super foods, or simply want to improve your vitality through healthy, doable practices, this book will help you on your journey regardless of age or fitness level. Presents the connection between exercise, nutrition, and physiology in a way that is ideal for both experienced athletes and newcomers Provides the scientific basis for mitochondrial functions and their relationship to fitness, protein synthesis, quality of life, and the aging process Synthesizes the latest research on nutrition, sports nutrition, super foods, and the brain/body connection Co-Authored by legendary cyclist Greg LeMond, who illustrates key points using his own athletic journey


Science, Faith and Society

Science, Faith and Society

Author: Michael Polanyi

Publisher: University of Chicago Press

Published: 2013-01-07

Total Pages: 98

ISBN-13: 022616344X

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In its concern with science as an essentially human enterprise, Science, Faith and Society makes an original and challenging contribution to the philosophy of science. On its appearance in 1946 the book quickly became the focus of controversy. Polanyi aims to show that science must be understood as a community of inquirers held together by a common faith; science, he argues, is not the use of "scientific method" but rather consists in a discipline imposed by scientists on themselves in the interests of discovering an objective, impersonal truth. That such truth exists and can be found is part of the scientists' faith. Polanyi maintains that both authoritarianism and scepticism, attacking this faith, are attacking science itself.


Science Meets Literature

Science Meets Literature

Author: Dario Maestripieri

Publisher: Anthem Press

Published: 2019-06-28

Total Pages: 204

ISBN-13: 1785270702

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Elias Canetti’s 1935 novel “Auto-da-Fé” (original German title, “Die Blendung”) has traditionally been difficult to interpret and the author’s intentions in writing it have remained unclear. “Science Meets Literature” argues that “Auto-da-Fé” is a novel about human nature that illustrates the workings of the human mind and some universal aspects of human behavior and human social relationships. Canetti’s insights anticipated later scientific discoveries made by cognitive, social and evolutionary psychology including the existence of “irrational” biases in human cognition (e.g., in perception, beliefs and decision-making); the strengths and limitations of human “theory-of-mind” skills (i.e., our ability to think about other people’s minds and “read” them); the establishment, maintenance and reversal of dominance in social relationships between two individuals; and the role of dehumanization in harmful behavior. Canetti intended to warn against the conviction held by some intellectuals that human nature can be denied, controlled, ignored or dismissed. His approach in “Auto-da-Fé” was an original attempt at the integration of knowledge formation in sciences and humanities. He pointed the way for future successful attempts at the integration of evolution, cognitive science and literature, as well as for the broader integration of sciences and humanities.


Culture Meets Power

Culture Meets Power

Author: Stanley R. Barrett

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA

Published: 2002-12-30

Total Pages: 160

ISBN-13: 0313390096

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In recent years the concept of power has soared to the top of the anthropological agenda, while the concept of culture has been found inadequate in understanding the contemporary world. The purposes of this study are to explain why power has become a central interest in the discipline, to evaluate the explanatory potential of power, to demonstrate how to analyze power in the ethnographic context, and to consider whether the culture concept can be salvaged. In chapter one the process by which the profile of power became elevated as a result of globalization is analyzed; included here is the critique of culture. In chapter two, a broad overview of the conception of power from early political anthropology to key works in philosophy, political science, and political sociology is attempted. Some anthropologists have recently tried to rescue the culture concept; this is the focus of chapter three. Although the argument in this study is that power is fundamentally important, it would be a mistake to think that power is any less ambiguous than culture or any other concept; thus, in chapter four it is shown that for each of 20 major assumptions about power, there is a plausible counter-assumption. Chapter five ties the study together by exploring the debates about power in the context of ethnography. The study ends with a postscript on the terrorist attacks on America of September 11, 2001—a poignant reminder that culture and power sometimes intersect to produce human tragedy on a grand scale.