Indian philosophical thought on Pramana (Valid Cognition) is a rich achieve that merits attention not only for its technical brilliance and variety but also for the ways in which it reverberates with contemporary discussions in science: arguably the master discourse of the modern world. In a spirit of free and open enquiry, characteristic of His Holiness the Dalai Lamas preferred mode of engaging with the world, Tibet House collaborated with the Drepung Monastic University at Mundgod, Karnataka to organize a Monastic Debate that was both traditional and contemporary. Tibetan Buddhism has a long tradition of Monastic Debates. This Debate was special in that it grew upon the pre-Buddhist traditions of thought on this critical question on Logic while also incorporating a perspective that leapt across the centuries: that of contemporary Physics. While the different schools such as Vedanta, Sankhya, Nyayavaisesika, Purvamimamsa, and Jaina were represented by scholars from academia, there was a lively interaction with monks being trained in traditional Tibetan philosophy at monasteries across India. The seminar was multilingual with presentations and queries in Tibetan, Hindi, Sanskrit and English. While this book presents lightly edited versions of the key papers presented there, the lively debates in Tibetan could not be transcribed due to logistical difficulties. Hence, this bi-lingual volume, attempts to make available to the scholarly community and curious students a valuable resource for understanding this crucial issue in Logic from a rich, multifaceted, comparatist perspective.

Evolution is proffered as a scientific theory throughout the world. Is it the truth, or could it be one of the biggest lies ever told? Is it possible that evolution is nothing more than an elaborate belief system with the aim to oppose the Christian faith and the Bible directly?

To provide answers to these questions, the basic assumptions of the Big Bang and the theory of evolution are thoroughly investigated in this book.

The following are some of the questions discussed:

• Did the Big Bang really happen?
• How did life on Earth originate?
• Is Darwin’s theory of evolution at all feasible?
• Is life on other planets, for example Mars, possible?
• How old is the Earth?
• Was there a worldwide flood?
• Did dinosaurs really become extinct millions of years ago?
• Is the story of Noah and the Ark possible?
• Does the fossil record support or contradict the theory of evolution?
• Is evolution a science or merely an atheistic belief system?

The conclusions in this book may be surprising to many and will provide answers to the complex questions people frequently ask. This book is recommended for every scholar, student and parent, or anyone wanting to make rational decisions about what they believe.

Few artworks have been the subject of more extensive modern interpretation than Melencolia I by renowned artist, mathematician, and scientist Albrecht Durer (1514). And yet, did each of these art experts and historians miss a secret manifesto that Durer included within the engraving? This is the first work to decrypt secrets within Melencolia I based not on guesswork, but Durer's own writings, other subliminal artists that inspired him (i.e., Leonardo da Vinci), the Jewish and Christian Bibles, and books that inspired Durer (De Occulta Philosophia and the Hieorglyphica). To read the covert message of Melencolia I is to understand that Durer was a humanist in his interests in mathematics, science, poetry, and antiquity. This book recognizes his unparalleled power with the burin, his mathematical skill in perspective, his dedication to precise language, and his acute observation of nature. Melencolia I may also be one of the most controversial (and at the time most criminal) pieces of art as it hid Durer's disdain for the hierarchy of the Catholic Church, the Kaiser, and the Holy Roman Empire from the general public for centuries. This book closely ties the origins of philosophy (science) and the work of a Renaissance master together, and will be of interest for anyone who loves scientific history, art interpretation, and secret manifestos.