Perspective: Life today

What do we Mean by ‘God’? A Little Book of Guidance

What do we Mean by ‘God’? A Little Book of Guidance

Posted by | Sep 19, 2020 | |

‘Language about God is something like the language of poetry… The poetic use of language is not to increase your information about the world. We know facts about the world without having poetry. The use of words in poetry is to evoke in us a certain attitude or way of looking at things or feeling about things. . . If this is the use of religious language, what sort of view of the world is it trying to convey? I think we might say it is trying to convey that the world is an expression of a reality beyond it. . .’

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Us and Them: The Science of Identity

Us and Them: The Science of Identity

Posted by | Sep 19, 2020 | |

Democrat and Republican. Meat Eaters and Vegetarians. Black and White. As human beings we sort ourselves into groups. And once we identify ourselves as a member of a particular group-say, Red Sox fans-we tend to feel more comfortable with others of our own kind, rather than, say, Yankees fans. Yet we all belong to multiple groups at the same time-one might be a woman, a mother, an American, a violinist. How do we decide which identities matter and why they matter so much? And what makes us willing to die for, or to kill for, a religion, a nation, or a race?

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Upheaval: How Nations Cope with Crisis and Change

Upheaval: How Nations Cope with Crisis and Change

Posted by | Sep 19, 2020 | |

Author of thelandmark international bestsellers Guns, Germs and Steel and Collapse, Jared Diamond has transformed our understanding of what makes civilizations rise and fall. Now, at a time when crises are erupting around the world, heexplores what makes certain nations resilient, and reveals the factors that influence how nations and individuals can respond to enormous challenges.

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Thinking, Fast and Slow

Thinking, Fast and Slow

Posted by | Sep 19, 2020 | |

Why is there more chance we’ll believe something if it’s in a bold type face? Why are judges more likely to deny parole before lunch? Why do we assume a good-looking person will be more competent? The answer lies in the two ways we make choices: fast, intuitive thinking, and slow, rational thinking. This book reveals how our minds are tripped up by error and prejudice (even when we think we are being logical), and gives you practical techniques for slower, smarter thinking. It will enable to you make better decisions at work, at home, and in everything you do.

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The Tell Tale Brain: Unlocking the Mystery of Human Nature

The Tell Tale Brain: Unlocking the Mystery of Human Nature

Posted by | Sep 19, 2020 | |

John, aged sixty, suffered a stroke and recovered fully, except in one respect: although he can see perfectly, he can no longer recognise faces, even his own reflection in a mirror.

Whenever Francesca touches a particular texture, she experiences a vivid emotion: denim = extreme sadness; wax = embarrassment; orange peel = shock.

Jimmie, whose left arm was recently amputated, can still feel it – and it’s itchy.

Our brains are the most enchanting and complex things in the known universe – but what happens when they go wrong? Dr V. S. Ramachandran, ‘the Sherlock Holmes of brain science’ and one of the world’s leading neuroscientists, has spent a lifetime working with patients who suffer from rare and baffling brain conditions. In The Tell-Tale Brain, he tells their stories, and explores what they reveal about the greatest mystery of them all: how our minds work, and what makes each of us so uniquely human.

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