2003, ISBN: 9780385415804

Transworld Publishers. Very Good. 5.06 x 0.94 x 7.81 inches. Paperback. 2003. 416 pages. <br>From the ambition to be successful in our careers to what we will have for lunch each d… Mehr…

Transworld Publishers. Very Good. 5.06 x 0.94 x 7.81 inches. Paperback. 2003. 416 pages. <br>From the ambition to be successful in our careers to what we will have for lunch each day, instinct is the invisibl e motivating force that shapes our world. But how well do these i nstincts, our most basic modes of interacting with the world, equ ip us for modern life? We are driven to pursue material wealth an d status. We have an innate impulse to find a mate, to fight to p rotect our young, and to find food and shelter. In Human Instinct , which accompanies a BBC1 television series, Robert Winston take s us to the forefront of modern science, exploring our instincts and gaining a deeper insight into the wonderful complexity of hum an nature. Editorial Reviews From the Publisher Whether we know it or not, our daily lives are shaped by powerful currents of in stinct. The conscious and unconscious decisions we all make are d eeply affected by an ancient genetic program: our ambition and lu st, our drives to compete and cooperate are essential components of the human mind, forged among our ancestors on the African sava nnah. Instincts were instrumental in the evolutionary success of the species, and success meant a fondness for sex and violence, f or status and wealth-and a will to survive. From ordering lunch t o one-night stands, human behavior is still heavily influenced by this genetic agenda. But how well do instincts equip us for the 21st century? Do instincts help or hinder us as we deal with larg e anonymous cities, low-level stress, and the fracturing of commu nal life? In this engrossing study, Robert Winston takes us deep into the human mind in search of the answers to these questions a nd more. Robert Winston is one of Britain's leading scientists. A s a consulting physician and Professor of Fertility Studies at th e University of London, he has pioneered in vitro fertilization a nd been a leading voice in the debate on genetic engineering. Fr om the Inside Flap Whether we know it or not, our daily lives are shaped by powerful currents of instinct. The conscious and uncon scious decisions we all make are deeply affected by an ancient ge netic program: our ambition and lust, our drives to compete and c ooperate are essential components of the human mind, forged among our ancestors on the African savannah. Instincts were instrument al in the evolutionary success of the species, and success meant a fondness for sex and violence, for status and wealth?and a will to survive. From ordering lunch to one?night stands, human behav ior is still heavily influenced by this genetic agenda. But how w ell do instincts equip us for the 21st century? Do instincts help or hinder us as we deal with large anonymous cities, low?level s tress, and the fracturing of communal life? In this engrossing st udy, Robert Winston takes us deep into the human mind in search o f the answers to these questions and more. Robert Winston is one of BritainÂ's leading scientists. As a consulting physician and P rofessor of Fertility Studies at the University of London, he has pioneered in vitro fertilization and been a leading voice in the debate on genetic engineering. About the Author Robert Winston is a professor of fertility studies at the University of London. He is also the author of The Human Mind. Excerpt. ® Reprinted b y permission. All rights reserved. The Origins of Survival Fight or flight You are walking home late one dark, wet and misty win ter evening. It's been tiring today, so you are keen to get insid e, close the door behind you and put the stresses of the day to r est. As you amble along, thinking in neutral, you realize you can hear measured but quickening footsteps behind you. A snatched gl ance over your shoulder reveals a man approaching in the gloomy s treet-light. He is moving rather quicker than you are walking, an d he is looking at you all the while. There's no-one else in sigh t - no-one on the street except you and the stranger. The house s uddenly seems a long way away. In less than an instant, you sudde nly feel very afraid. Your heart starts beating wildly, your mout h goes very dry and you have a huge urge to start running towards the safety beyond your front door. There is a very simple reaso n why you feel so terrified. Inside your body, all hell has broke n loose. Biological sirens and alarms are wailing. Perceiving the threat of the potential mugger with lightning speed, your brain and autonomic nervous system - the automatic controller of the gu t, heart, vessels and lungs - have gone into overdrive and produc ed a huge surge of adrenalin. This triggers a hormonal cascade in side you, an incredibly fast and powerful chemical relay-race des igned to propel you away from a threatening situation. Just a fra ction of a second later, the hypothalamus in your brain begins pu mping out a substance called corticotropin-releasing hormone, or CRH, which in turn sends alarms to the pituitary gland in your br ain to pour out adrenocorticotropin, or ACTH. Finally, the abnorm ally high levels of ACTH in your bloodstream are the warning sign al for the adrenal glands, near your kidneys, to start producing cortisol. Imagine the speed at which these precise yet complex c ombinations of hormones are produced - your body's reaction to fr ight and attack is virtually instantaneous. Almost immediately th ese chemical alarm bells are set off inside us, we are forcibly s hoved into the (all too familiar) feeling of being acutely afraid . The adrenalin makes your heart pound faster, increasing its nor mal resting rate by as much as two or three times. You would have to cycle really vigorously for maybe fifteen minutes to produce that kind of rise in your heart rate under normal circumstances, but in the sudden grip of fear, the rate can triple in just a mat ter of seconds. You are also breathing much faster now and the bl ood is being rapidly redistributed around your body. The blood ve ssels in unimportant areas like your stomach and your skin constr ict, shunting blood away and into the now dilated vessels of the muscles of the limbs. Here the extra oxygen and fuel gained by yo ur increased breathing can be best harnessed to flee from the thr eat, or even fight it. There wouldn't be much sense in your stoma ch busily digesting that lunchtime sandwich right now, when every drop of your body's available energy needs to be used to save yo u from the approaching threat. As the adrenalin and cortisol con tinue to gush out into your blood, your pupils dilate, allowing y ou to see better in darkness and shadows and to perceive any move ment around you more keenly. A kind of pain-dampening effect is s witched on so that you won't be distracted from getting away by a ny injuries. Emergency reserves of glucose are released inside yo u to allow for especially intense bursts of muscular activity. Ev en your immune system is mobilizing to cope with the possibility of dealing with a serious wound. In just a matter of moments, you r body has propelled you into a state of extreme physical and psy chological readiness to run or fight - whichever course of action best suits the threatening situation. As the stranger, now just feet away from you, holds out the single, familiar glove you now realize you'd obviously dropped some way back, you may ask wheth er all your body's efforts were really worth it. Whether it's 'bu tterflies' in the tummy before an interview, the dry mouth and th roat we feel minutes before we have to make a speech, or even the quickening pulse and sudden jump as we hear an unexpected bump i n the night, it often seems that our bodies are overreacting. So where does this physical and psychological reaction come from? It 's not as if we were taught as children to start breathing faster in threatening situations, nor can we consciously make our heart beat so much faster or force our body to produce adrenalin. What we are actually experiencing is our very own personal link to ou r most ancient human ancestors - a reaction which hundreds of tho usands of years ago almost certainly made the difference between life and death, but which now, in most cases, simply serves to re mind us of the remarkable fact that while living in a very advanc ed modern world, we all do so with Stone Age brains and bodies. Indeed, this reaction in response to stress hormones goes way bac k in time, well before our immediate ancestors. Even animals that aren't mammals react basically in a similar way. Try startling y our goldfish as it meanders around its bowl. If you place a net o r a threatening object into its water, you will immediately see a very similar kind of reaction. Its fins stand out ready to flee and the gills and mouth start opening and closing in overtime. Th at fright reaction is caused by the same hormone, inherited down the ages: adrenalin. Our early human ancestors lived in a very d angerous and threatening environment. When they first made it out of the trees to try their luck on the grassy plains of the east African savannah, they were vastly outnumbered by vicious and hun gry predators. They lacked the brute strength of the great apes a nd many other large land mammals, especially the big cats. Nor we re they particularly fast or agile like the antelope or gazelles. They could not fly, nor were they especially well designed for l ife in water. Their senses were poorly developed: no night vision , no extra-sensitive hearing to detect prey rustling in the grass hundreds of feet away, and an extremely unsophisticated sense of smell. Ape-man infants were helpless and dependent, and parents were distracted from practical matters of survival by having to c are for their young. But these naked and defenceless prototype hu mans had to contend with the searing African heat as they travers ed the vast distances of the plains in search of food, shelter an d mates. If they stayed in one area, they risked starvation and a ttack from a stalking predator; if they were on the move, they fa ced the test of the unknown, of coming face to face with some ter rible beast. And terrible they were. While the most probable thr eat you may experience today is a brush with a suspicious person in a local street, our ancient ancestors had to face the reality of encounters with violent sabre-toothed cats and other predators . One variety was Smilodon, a sabre-toothed cat whose remains sho w it was almost a foot shorter than a modern-day lion, but weighe d almost twice as much. Instead of the long, graceful tail cheeta hs and leopards use for balance as they race across the African p lains, Smilodon had a short, stumpy bobtail. This beast was a sim mering hunk of muscle, designed for quick and furious violence. Smilodon almost certainly hunted in packs. We know this because f ossil specimens of the huge cat, dug up in California, show evide nce of healing injuries. Some of these injuries were so serious t hat immediately after the trauma the cat would have been unable t o hunt, so it couldn't have survived long enough for the injury t o heal unless other animals from the pack had brought it food. Sm ilodon could roar - we know that from the structure of the hyoid bones in its throat - but like any modern feline predator it woul d have been silent when stalking. Once it had ambushed its prey, by charging the frightened antelope or artiodactyl with an explos ive burst of power, it would have used its long, curved, sabre-li ke teeth, viciously ripping open the belly or throat. It's highl y likely that predators such as these would have killed and eaten early humans. In a cave at Swartkrans in South Africa, palaeonto logists found the skull of an early human, Homo habilis, buried d eep in sediment dated to around two million years. It belonged to an eleven-year-old child and bears the mark of an African predat or: the bone is punctured in two places, an exact match for a pai r of leopard's canines. A child such as this stood absolutely no chance of defending itself against these powerful beasts; even a fully grown male would have been practically helpless, given the speed, power and aggression of the big cats. To stand the best p ossible chance of survival all animals have to protect themselves from danger and death, so they need a means to be alert to threa ts at all times, to fear them and to fight or flee in response to them. The imperative is self-preservation as well as the surviva l of the species. In evolutionary terms, a fearless animal would be much less likely to survive and pass on its fearless genes. Si x billion humans now populate the world; our species has become t he most successful in the history of all life on the planet. Our early ancestors must have developed and evolved some spectacularl y successful ways to protect themselves from predators and threat s - physiological and psychological reactions that were so fundam ental to their survival they still exist deep within us today. ., Transworld Publishers, 2003, 3, National Academies Press. Used - Very Good. Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in excellent condition. May show signs of wear or have minor defects., National Academies Press, 3, 1984. Mass media paperback. Diderot. Classlic Very Good . 12mo - over 6¾ - 7¾" tall. Synopsis: Voltaire, Rousseau, Diderot-of the triumvirate that dominated French letters in the eighteenth century, Diderot was unmatched in the sheer breadth and depth of his interests and ideas. Rameau's Nephew and D'Alembert's Dream are dazzling exposés of Diderot's radical scientific and philosophical thinking. Written in dialogue form, they were too outspoken to be published during the lifetime of one whose ideas earned him enemies as fast as they stimulated new criteria for social progress. Of the two pieces, Rameau's Nephew was composed over many years, and in form and content it is an explosive cocktail unlike anything in French literature before or since. D'Alembert's Dream, on the other hand, was committed to paper in a matter of days; a clarion call for the cause of materialist determinism, it too shows Diderot as one of the most advanced thinkers of his age and is a powerful testament to the bizarre and unpredictable genius of its creator. About the Author: Denis Diderot was born at Langres in eastern France in 1713, the son of a master cutler. He was originally destined for the Church but rebelled and persuaded his father to allow him to complete his education in Paris, where he graduated in 1732. For ten years Diderot was nominally a law student, but actually led a precarious bohemian but studious existence, eked out with tutoring, hack-writing and translating. His original writing began in 1746 with a number of scientific works setting out the materialist philosophy which he was to hold throughout his life. Along with his editorship of the Encyclopédie (1747-73), he wrote works on mathematics, medicine, the life sciences, economics, drama and painting, two plays and a novel, as well as his Salons (1759-81). His political writings were mainly composed around 1774 for Catherine II, at whose invitation he went to St. Petersburg. Diderot's astonishingly wide range of interests, together with his growing prediliction for the dialogue form, led to the production of his most famous works: D'Alembert's Dream, The Paradox of the Actor, Jacques the Fatalist and Rameau's Nephew. During the latter part of his life Diderot received a generous pension from Catherine II, in return for which he bequeathed her his library and manuscripts. He died in 1784., 1984, 3, Good. 1980's Later Printing Trade paperback, Tight Copy, no names, no stamps, no labels, minor reading wear, light interior age toning, Clean and Unmarked text. Flatland is one of the very few novels about math and philosophy that can appeal to almost any layperson. Published in 1880, this short fantasy takes us to a completely flat world of two physical dimensions where all the inhabitants are geometric shapes, and who think the planar world of length and width that they know is all there is. But one inhabitant discovers the existence of a third physical dimension, enabling him to finally grasp the concept of a fourth dimension. Watching our Flatland narrator, we begin to get an idea of the limitations of our own assumptions about reality, and we start to learn how to think about the confusing problem of higher dimensions. As a satire, Flatland offered pointed observations on the social hierarchy of Victorian culture. However, the novella's more enduring contribution is its examination of dimensions; in a foreword to one of the many publications of the novella, noted science writer Isaac Asimov described Flatland as "The best introduction one can find into the manner of perceiving dimensions." As such, the novella is still popular amongst mathematics, physics and computer science students. 108 pages., 2.5, National Academies Press, 1987. Paperback. Very Good. May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed., National Academies Press, 1987, 3, National Academies Press, 1987. Paperback. Good. Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed., National Academies Press, 1987, 2.5, National Academies Press. Used - Good. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages., National Academies Press, 2.5, National Academies Press. Used - Very Good. Used book that is in excellent condition. May show signs of wear or have minor defects., National Academies Press, 3, New York, Ny, U.s.a.: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, 1993-01-01. New. Should you watch public television without pledging?Exceed the posted speed limit?Hop a subway turnstile without paying? These questions illustrate the so-called "prisoner's dilemma", a social puzzle that we all face every day Though the answers may seem simple, their profound implications make the prisoner's dilemma one of the great unifying concepts of science Watching players bluff in a poker game inspired John von Neumannfather of the modern computer and one of the sharpest minds of the centuryto construct game theory, a mathematical study of conflict and deception Game theory was readily embraced at the RAND Corporation, the archetypical think tank charged with formulating military strategy for the atomic age, and in 1950 two RAND scientists made a momentous discoveryCalled the "prisoner's dilemma," it is a disturbing and mind-bending game where two or more people may betray the common good for individual gain Introduced shortly after the Soviet Union acquired the atomic bomb, the prisoner's dilemma quickly became a popular allegory of the nuclear arms race Intellectuals such as von Neumann and Bertrand Russell joined military and political leaders in rallying to the "preventive war" movement, which advocated a nuclear first strike against the Soviet Union Though the Truman administration rejected preventive war the United States entered into an arms race with the Soviets and game theory developed into a controversial tool of public policyalternately accused of justifying arms races and touted as the only hope of preventing them, Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, 1993-01-01, 6<

1993, ISBN: 038541580X

[EAN: 9780385415804], Neubuch, [SC: 0.0], [PU: ANCHOR Jan 1993], BIOGRAPHY / AUTOBIOGRAPHY; SCIENCE GENERAL; & AUTOBIOGRAPHY TECHNOLOGY, Neuware - Should you watch public television witho… Mehr…

[EAN: 9780385415804], Neubuch, [SC: 0.0], [PU: ANCHOR Jan 1993], BIOGRAPHY / AUTOBIOGRAPHY; SCIENCE GENERAL; & AUTOBIOGRAPHY TECHNOLOGY, Neuware - Should you watch public television without pledging .Exceed the posted speed limit .Hop a subway turnstile without paying These questions illustrate the so-called 'prisoner's dilemma', a social puzzle that we all face every day. Though the answers may seem simple, their profound implications make the prisoner's dilemma one of the great unifying concepts of science. Watching players bluff in a poker game inspired John von Neumann-father of the modern computer and one of the sharpest minds of the century-to construct game theory, a mathematical study of conflict and deception. Game theory was readily embraced at the RAND Corporation, the archetypical think tank charged with formulating military strategy for the atomic age, and in 1950 two RAND scientists made a momentous discovery.Called the 'prisoner's dilemma,' it is a disturbing and mind-bending game where two or more people may betray the common good for individual gain. Introduced shortly after the Soviet Union acquired the atomic bomb, the prisoner's dilemma quickly became a popular allegory of the nuclear arms race. Intellectuals such as von Neumann and Bertrand Russell joined military and political leaders in rallying to the 'preventive war' movement, which advocated a nuclear first strike against the Soviet Union. Though the Truman administration rejected preventive war the United States entered into an arms race with the Soviets and game theory developed into a controversial tool of public policy-alternately accused of justifying arms races and touted as the only hope of preventing them. A masterful work of science writing, Prisoner's Dilemma weaves together a biography of the brilliant and tragic von Neumann, a history of pivotal phases of the cold war, and an investigation of game theory's far-reaching influence on public policy today. Most important, Prisoner's Dilemma is the incisive story of a revolutionary idea that has been hailed as a landmark of twentieth-century thought., Books<

ISBN: 9780385415804

Should you watch public television without pledging?...Exceed the posted speed limit?...Hop a subway turnstile without paying? These questions illustrate the so-called 'prisoner's dilemma… Mehr…

Should you watch public television without pledging?...Exceed the posted speed limit?...Hop a subway turnstile without paying? These questions illustrate the so-called 'prisoner's dilemma', a social puzzle that we all face every day. Though the answers may seem simple, their profound implications make the prisoner's dilemma one of the great unifying concepts of science. Watching players bluff in a poker game inspired John von Neumann-father of the modern computer and one of the sharpest minds of the century-to construct game theory, a mathematical study of conflict and deception. Game theory was readily embraced at the RAND Corporation, the archetypical think tank charged with formulating military strategy for the atomic age, and in 1950 two RAND scientists made a momentous discovery. Called the 'prisoner's dilemma,' it is a disturbing and mind-bending game where two or more people may betray the common good for individual gain. Introduced shortly after the Soviet Union acquired the atomic bomb, the prisoner's dilemma quickly became a popular allegory of the nuclear arms race. Intellectuals such as von Neumann and Bertrand Russell joined military and political leaders in rallying to the 'preventive war' movement, which advocated a nuclear first strike against the Soviet Union. Though the Truman administration rejected preventive war the United States entered into an arms race with the Soviets and game theory developed into a controversial tool of public policy-alternately accused of justifying arms races and touted as the only hope of preventing them. A masterful work of science writing, Prisoner's Dilemma weaves together a biography of the brilliant and tragic von Neumann, a history of pivotal phases of the cold war, and an investigation of game theory's far-reaching influence on public policy today. Most important, Prisoner's Dilemma is the incisive story of a revolutionary idea that has been hailed as a landmark of twentieth-century thought. Fremdsprachige Bücher 20.3 x 13.4 x 1.9 cm , Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group<