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Books > Science & Mathematics > Science: general issues > General
Increasing doubts over the narratives that traditionally served to
legitimize the tasks and possibilities of societal institutions -
such as science - have also called into question the significance
of philosophy to educational thinking. Related debates largely
concern epistemological issues, i.e. issues regarding the nature
and status of (scientific) knowledge. This dissertation takes as
its starting point the nowadays hardly controversial idea that all
knowledge is to a certain extent 'uncertain'. The questions
addressed are how this 'epistemic uncertainty'may be intelligibly
understood, and what consequences can be drawn from such an
understanding for the tasks and possibilities of philosophy of
education as an academic discipline. In response to
antifoundationalist as well as fallibilist authors, the author
develops a discursive contextualist approach to epistemology that
gives way to a philosophy of education that has both
critical-reflective and theoretical-constructive potential, as is
illustrated in relation to the educational issue of dealing with
'students at risk'.
This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which
commemorates University of California Press's mission to seek out
and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and
impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes
high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using
print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in
1981.
This book provides an overview of science education policies,
research and practices in mainland China, with specific examples of
the most recent developments in these areas. It presents an
insiders' report on the status of Chinese science education written
primarily by native speakers with first-hand experiences inside the
country. In addition, the book features multiple sectional
commentaries by experts in the field that further connect these
stories to the existing science education literature outside of
China. This book informs the international community about the
current status of Chinese science education reforms. It helps
readers understand one of the largest science education systems in
the world, which includes, according to the Programme for
International Student Assessment, the best-performing economy in
the world in science, math and reading: Shanghai, China. Readers
gain insight into how science education in the rest of China
compares to that in Shanghai; the ways Chinese science educators,
teachers and students achieve what has been accomplished; what
Chinese students and teachers actually do inside their classrooms;
what educational policies have been helpful in promoting student
learning; what lessons can be shared within the international
science education community; and much more. This book appeals to
science education researchers, comparative education researchers,
science educators, graduate students, state science education
leaders and officers in the international communities. It also
helps Chinese students and faculty of science education discover
effective ways to share their science education stories with the
rest of the world.
Global Warming is a serious matter requiring an open and honest
discussion. Unfortunately, I have not seen any such discussion. I
hear that there is consensus among scientists. When they know what
they are talking about, they also are able to explain what they
have discovered. In this topic, though, whoever these scientists
are, they do not seem willing to come forward to do the
explanation, instead politicians are the ones who do the talking.
In addition, there are also rumors going around that the
information collected regarding the issue of Global Warming appears
to be tainted.This book not only contains scientific information
which has been approved for a long time, it also makes this
information easy for everyone to understand and recognize. Many of
the phenomena we see every day have been studied and measured
thoroughly, yet because we are not able to stop these phenomena
from happening, we avoid trying to understand why they occur, and
in some cases, we just legitimize our guessing.The accurate data
collected by legitimate sources are used and presented in this
book, and when the correct explanation is presented, it is easy to
understand that the whole explanation is simple.The statements
presented are clear and simple, and it is not the author who has
collected the information, yet all are based on a proven science
which is being used in many industries and for a long time.Once you
recognize that these topics are simple, you can begin to have a
serious discussion in your own circle, and feel free to scrutinize
this author.
The very human need for religion and magic as supplements to
scientific and technological knowledge is the subject of this work.
In 1942 Hsu witnessed a cholera epidemic in a small rural
settlement in Yunnan province, China, and found that, contrary to
anthropological expectations, the Chinese responded to the crisis
with a combination of conciliatory rituals and practical hygienic
measures. More than thirty years later, he witnessed the elaborate
ritualistic prepartions for another epidemic in the Shatin
sub-division of Hong Kong and found the supernatural/empirical
response to be virtually the same as in 1942. The author argues
that, in spite of technological and intellectual sophistication,
the human psychic need for magic and religion persists. He pursues
this contention in a longitudinal analysis of this phenomenon in
the South Seas, East Africa, and Indian and white America.
From the end of the twentieth century onwards space has become a
'hot topic' in literary studies. This thesis contributes to the
spatial turn by focusing on space in archaic Greek lyric (7th-5th c
bc). A theoretical framework inspired by narratology, phenomenology
and metaphor theory is applied to archaic lyric poems in which
city, countryside and sea are of importance. Heirman argues that
space is predominantly symbolic: the city is a political or an
erotic metaphor, the countryside an erotic symbol, and the sea a
symbol of danger. He also attempts to connect the symbolism of
space with the context of the symposium, in which the lyric poems
were performed: city metaphors are linked with sympotic plays of
'guessing', the erotic activities in the countryside reveal a
projection of erotic fantasies of the symposiasts, and the danger
at sea serves to reinforce the cohesion of the sympotic group.
Resistance to malaria. Blue eyes. Lactose tolerance. What do all of
these traits have in common? Every one of them has emerged in the
last 10,000 years.Scientists have long believed that the great leap
forward" that occurred some 40,000 to 50,000 years ago in Europe
marked end of significant biological evolution in humans. In this
stunningly original account of our evolutionary history, top
scholars Gregory Cochran and Henry Harpending reject this
conventional wisdom and reveal that the human species has undergone
a storm of genetic change much more recently. Human evolution in
fact accelerated after civilization arose, they contend, and these
ongoing changes have played a pivotal role in human history. They
argue that biology explains the expansion of the Indo-Europeans,
the European conquest of the Americas, and European Jews' rise to
intellectual prominence. In each of these cases, the key was recent
genetic change: adult milk tolerance in the early Indo-Europeans
that allowed for a new way of life, increased disease resistance
among the Europeans settling America, and new versions of
neurological genes among European Jews.Ranging across subjects as
diverse as human domestication, Neanderthal hybridization, and IQ
tests, Cochran and Harpending's analysis demonstrates convincingly
that human genetics have changed and can continue to change much
more rapidly than scientists have previously believed. A
provocative and fascinating new look at human evolution that turns
conventional wisdom on its head, The 10,000 Year Explosion reveals
the ongoing interplay between culture and biology in the making of
the human race.
There is hardly a technical library in the world in which the
volumes of the Chemical Formulary (Volumes 1-34) do not occupy a
prominent place. Chemists both experienced and beginner,
continually refer to them. It does not duplicate any of the
formulas included in previous volumes, but lists a wide array of
modern and salable products from all branches of the chemical
industries. An excellent reference for formulation problems. -
CONTENTS - I. Introduction - II. Adhesives - III. Beverages and
Foods - IV. Cosmetics - V. Coatings - VI. Detergents and
Disinfectants - VII. Drug Products - VIII. Metal Treatments - IX.
Polishes - X. Textile Specialties - XI. Miscellaneous - Appendix -
Index - Preface - Chemistry, as taught in our schools and colleges,
concerns chiefly synthesis, analysis, and engineering-and properly
so. It is part of the right foundation for the education of the
chemist. Many a chemist entering an Industry soon finds that most
of the products manufactured by his concern are not synthetic or
definite complex compounds, but are mixtures, blends, or highly
complex compounds of which he knows little or nothing. The
literature in this field, if any, may be meager, scattered, or
obsolete. Even chemists with years of experience In one or more
Industries spend considerable time and effort in acquainting
themselves with any new field which they may enter. Consulting
chemists similarly have to solve problems brought to them from
industries foreign to them. There was a definite need for an
up-to-date compilation of formulae for chemical compounding and
treatment. Since the fields to be covered are many and varied, an
editorial board of chemists and engineers engaged in many
industries was formed. Many publications, laboratories,
manufacturing firms, and Individuals have been consulted to obtain
the latest and best information. It is felt that the formulas given
in this volume will save chemists and allied workers much time and
effort. Manufacturers and sellers of chemicals will find, In these
formulae, new uses for their products. Non-chemical executives,
professional men, and Interested laymen will make through this
volume a "speaking acquaintance" with products which they may be
using, trying or selling. It often happens that two Individuals
using the same Ingredients in the same formula get different
results. This may be due to slight deviations in the raw materials
or unfamiliarity with the intricacies of a new technique.
Accordingly, repeated experiments may be necessary to get the best
results. Although many of the formulas given are being used
commercially, many have been taken from the literature and may be
subject to various errors and omissions. This should be taken into
consideration. Wherever possible, it is advisable to consult with
other chemists or technical workers regarding commercial
production.
Science fairs, clubs, and talent searches are familiar fixtures
in American education, yet little is known about why they began and
grew in popularity. In Science Education and Citizenship, Sevan G.
Terzian traces the civic purposes of these extracurricular programs
for youth over four decades in the early to mid-twentieth century.
He argues that Americans' mobilization for World War Two reoriented
these educational activities from scientific literacy to national
defense -- a shift that persisted in the ensuing atomic age and has
left a lasting legacy in American science education.
This full color manual is intended to explain the principles of
seismic design for those without a technical background in
engineering and seismology. The primary intended audience is that
of architects, and includes practicing architects, architectural
students and faculty in architectural schools who teach structures
and seismic design. For this reason the text and graphics are
focused on those aspects of seismic design that are important for
the architect to know.
There may be no more magnificent animal than the tiger. Yet,
around the world, their populations are dwindling, and the Indian
Bengal tiger is no exception. Wild Bengal tigers dwell in tropical
jungles, brush, marsh lands, and tall grasslands in Bangladesh,
Nepal, India, Bhutan, and Burma, hunting prey such as pigs, deer,
antelope, and buffalo. Some estimates say there are fewer than
2,000 Bengal tigers and the entire world tiger population may be
less than 3,000.
The Life and Fate of the Indian Tiger offers a unique
perspective on these exquisite cats. Author Tobias J. Lanz, who has
been studying Indian tigers since 1998, incorporates historical and
cultural topics, as well as conservation and social theories into
his narrative. He paints a detailed portrait of the tiger's life in
the wild, enriching that picture with descriptions of the plant,
animal, and human life found in India's diverse tiger habitats. The
book also looks at tigers in myth and religion, tiger hunting, and
the rise of conservation.
Each engaging chapter is a combination of social and historical
narrative, interspersed with the author's personal observations and
analyses of places, people, and events. Knowledge gained from his
research on Indian history, geography, politics, and religion is
matched with the personal experiences he had while travelling
across the subcontinent to visit tiger sanctuaries. Personal
observations on local cultures, scenery, and wildlife are balanced
by discussions with the Indian people, ranging from government
officials to villagers.
The Indian tiger continues to survive against great odds.
Written in part to engage the reader in conservation efforts, The
Life and Fate of the Indian Tiger outlines the main programs and
policies enacted to save the tiger in India. Lanz dedicates a final
chapter to global efforts at tiger conservation, explaining what
can and must be done to safeguard the future of one of the world's
rarest and most beautiful creatures.
A vivid, up-to-date tour of the Earth's last frontier, a remote and
mysterious realm that nonetheless lies close to the heart of even
the most land-locked reader. The sea covers seven-tenths of the
Earth, but we have mapped only a small percentage of it. The sea
contains millions of species of animals and plants, but we have
identified only a few thousand of them. The sea controls our
planet's climate, but we do not really understand how. The sea is
still the frontier, and yet it seems so familiar that we sometimes
forget how little we know about it. Just as we are poised on the
verge of exploiting the sea on an unprecedented scale-mining it,
fertilizing it, fishing it out-this book reminds us of how much we
have yet to learn. More than that, it chronicles the knowledge
explosion that has transformed our view of the sea in just the past
few decades, and made it a far more interesting and accessible
place. From the Big Bang to that far-off future time, two billion
years from now, when our planet will be a waterless rock; from the
lush crowds of life at seafloor hot springs to the invisible,
jewel-like plants that float at the sea surface; from the restless
shifting of the tectonic plates to the majestic sweep of the ocean
currents, Kunzig's clear and lyrical prose transports us to the
ends of the Earth.
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