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Randomness is an active element relevant to all scientific
activities. The book explores the way in which randomness suffuses
the human experience, starting with everyday chance events,
followed by developments into modern probability theory,
statistical mechanics, scientific data analysis, quantum mechanics,
and quantum gravity. An accessible introduction to these theories
is provided as a basis for going into deeper topics.Fowler unveils
the influence of randomness in the two pillars of science,
measurement and theory. Some emphasis is placed on the need and
methods for optimal characterization of uncertainty. An example of
the cost of neglecting this is the St. Petersburg Paradox, a
theoretical game of chance with an infinite expected payoff value.
The role of randomness in quantum mechanics reveals another
particularly interesting finding: that in order for the physical
universe to function as it does and permit conscious beings within
it to enjoy sanity, irreducible randomness is necessary at the
quantum level.The book employs a certain level of mathematics to
describe physical reality in a more precise way that avoids the
tendency of nonmathematical descriptions to be occasionally
misleading. Thus, it is most readily digested by young students who
have taken at least a class in introductory calculus, or
professional scientists and engineers curious about the book's
topics as a result of hearing about them in popular media. Readers
not inclined to savor equations should be able to skip certain
technical sections without losing the general flow of ideas. Still,
it is hoped that even readers who usually avoid equations will give
those within these pages a chance, as they may be surprised at how
potentially foreboding concepts fall into line when one makes a
legitimate attempt to follow a succession of mathematical
implications.
Democratic Equilibrium: The Supply and Demand of Democracy defines
a model for political change, change that results in either an
increase or decrease in democracy. The book presents a model that
builds upon the existing literature to bridge several major gaps in
political change theory. This book provides a holistic supply and
demand model that draws upon works from political science,
economics, and history. The work conducts an econometric test of
the model and validates the results with field research cases from
Mexico, the Philippines, and Senegal. The econometric chapter is a
rare quantitative analysis of the effects of violence and
development upon democracy. This topic is central to contemporary
academic and policy debates about how to create democracies,
consolidate democracies, achieve development and improve security,
especially within developing countries. This topic is especially
timely as the Arab Spring represents a unique opportunity and
challenge for democratic change across the Middle East and North
Africa. Recent events in Tunisia and Egypt demonstrate that
democracy studies remain just as relevant today as they were twenty
years ago. The findings indicate that common structural
explanations of democracy are incomplete since the structural
relationships are not stable or constant over time. Instead,
democratic change (or lack thereof) can be explained using a supply
and demand model. Key actors (including the military, political
parties, NGOs, the ruling regime, and civil society) are the
suppliers and consumers that determine a country's resulting level
of democracy. However, stating that actors are important is a major
over-simplification. Each key actor builds preferences based upon a
variety of factors, most importantly: security, income, and the
adoption of democratic norms. It is this key dynamic that explains
why insurgency, poverty, and under-development do not have a
linearly negative effect on democracy. Instead, these factors have
a centripetal effect on political development, pulling a country's
government towards an intermediate state of political transition in
which regimes stagnate in a partially democratic, partially
autocratic regime type. Conversely, the model also explains why
high income, democratic norms, and security do not necessarily lead
to democratization in all cases.
First published in 1902, William James's Varieties of Religious
Experience is considered a classic in religious studies and the
psychology of religion. But how has James's classic study weathered
decades of development in psychology and behavioral sciences? Do
the assertions about religious experience in the Varieties still
ring true in light of neuro-cognitive and neuro-hormonal research,
resiliency studies, studies of temperament, and traumatic studies?
By extending William James's own research throughout the century
since its publication this volume seeks to answer those questions.
In doing so, it revolutionizes our understanding of James's own
view of psychology and reveals the extraordinary value of James's
perspective for religion, psychology, and spirituality today. In
doing so, it offers vital insights for pastoral care and faith
development at both the individual and congregational level. From
the Introduction by James Fowler: Drawing on the authenticity of
her own experience, Bridgers carries us into a remarkably clear and
well documented account that traces William James's evolution as a
psychologist, philosopher, and a deeply engaged inquirer into the
dynamics of spiritual development and transformation... This book
has a major contribution to make. Bridgers's study illumines the
horizons of contemporary research in the study of religious
experience, in all its varieties, and in the context of
globalization.
In this updated reissue of his 1984 classic, James Fowler applies his groundbreaking research on the development of faith to Christianity. In his revised first chapter Fowler locates his approach to the study of human and faith development in relation to the contemporary conversation about identity and selfhood in postmodernity. Fowler invites readers to explore what it means to find and claim vocation: a purpose for one's life that is part of the purposes of God. Reclaiming covenant and vocation as ideals for responsible, mature, Christian selfhood, Fowler shows how a dynamic understanding of what vocation involves can both inform and transform lives.
This topical volume seeks to analyze the intimate but under-studied
relationship between the construction of national identity in Latin
America, and the violent struggle for political power that has
defined Latin American history since independence. The result is an
original, fascinating contribution to an increasingly important
field of study.
Over the last fifty-plus years, the increased complexity and speed
of integrated circuits have radically changed our world. Today,
semiconductor manufacturing is perhaps the most important segment
of the global manufacturing sector. As the semiconductor industry
has become more competitive, improving planning and control has
become a key factor for business success. This book is devoted to
production planning and control problems in semiconductor wafer
fabrication facilities. It is the first book that takes a
comprehensive look at the role of modeling, analysis, and related
information systems for such manufacturing systems. The book
provides an operations research- and computer science-based
introduction into this important field of semiconductor
manufacturing-related research.
Among different approaches that can be considered for concrete
rehabilitation, bonded overlays are often the most economical
alternative. The primary purpose of overlays is to extend the life
of the candidate structures, either by restoring the quality and
integrity of the surface and/or the re-establishing or improving
the load-carrying capacity. Nevertheless, the durability of bonded
overlay systems still draws concerns in the technical community
because of bond sustainability problems encountered in a number of
cases. At this time, there is still no accepted design approach or
methodology that can warrant the practitioner a successful outcome
of the repair. This State-of-Art report summarizes the findings
with respect to all aspects involved in the overlaying process.
Over the last fifty-plus years, the increased complexity and speed
of integrated circuits have radically changed our world. Today,
semiconductor manufacturing is perhaps the most important segment
of the global manufacturing sector. As the semiconductor industry
has become more competitive, improving planning and control has
become a key factor for business success. This book is devoted to
production planning and control problems in semiconductor wafer
fabrication facilities. It is the first book that takes a
comprehensive look at the role of modeling, analysis, and related
information systems for such manufacturing systems. The book
provides an operations research- and computer science-based
introduction into this important field of semiconductor
manufacturing-related research.
Among different approaches that can be considered for concrete
rehabilitation, bonded overlays are often the most economical
alternative. The primary purpose of overlays is to extend the life
of the candidate structures, either by restoring the quality and
integrity of the surface and/or the re-establishing or improving
the load-carrying capacity. Nevertheless, the durability of bonded
overlay systems still draws concerns in the technical community
because of bond sustainability problems encountered in a number of
cases. At this time, there is still no accepted design approach or
methodology that can warrant the practitioner a successful outcome
of the repair. This State-of-Art report summarizes the findings
with respect to all aspects involved in the overlaying process.
This highly topical volume seeks to analyze the intimate but
under-studied relationship between the construction of national
identity in Latin America and the violent struggle for political
power that has defined Latin American history since independence.
The theoretical framework is complemented by a series of tightly
structured and fascinating case studies, written by an
international team of specialists and spanning a range of Latin
American countries. The result is an original and fascinating
contribution to an increasingly important field of study.
This collection of literature attempts to compile many of the
classic, timeless works that have stood the test of time and offer
them at a reduced, affordable price, in an attractive volume so
that everyone can enjoy them.
Dr. James Fowler has asked these questions, and others like them, of nearly six hundred people. He has talked with men, women, and children of all ages, from four to eighty-eight, including Jews, Catholics, Protestants, agnostics, and atheists. In many cases, the interviews became in-depth conversations that provided rare, intimate glimpses into the various ways our lives have meaning and purpose, windows into what this books calls faith. Faith, as approached here, is not necessarily religious, nor is it to be equated with belief. Rather, faith is a person's way of leaning into and making sense of life. More verb that noun, faith is the dynamic system of images, values, and commitments that guide one's life. It is thus universal: everyone who chooses to go on living operated by some basic faith. Building on the contributions of such key thinkers as Piaget, Erikson, and Kohlberg, Fowler draws on a wide range of scholarship, literature, and firsthand research to present expertly and engagingly the six stages that emerge in working out the meaning of our lives--from the intuitive, imitative faith of childhood through conventional and then more independent faith to the universalizing, self-transcending faith of full maturity. Stages of Faith helps us to understand our own pilgrimage of faith, the passages of our own quest for meaning and value.
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