Subject categories - In Search of Wisdom

Natural Born Learners: Our Incredible Capacity to Learn and How We Can Harness It

Posted by Dr Terry Cooke-Davies | Sep 17, 2020 | Books |

Learning is the soul of our species. From our first steps to our last words, we are what we learn. But for all its obvious importance, learning has lost touch with human progress. We live in an information age, work in a knowledge economy, yet our schools are relics of an industrial era. Education insider Alex Beard takes us on a dazzling tour of the future of learning to show how we can – and why we must – do better. Tackling everything from artificial intelligence to our growing understanding of the infant brain, Natural Born Learners is a user’s guide to transforming learning in the twenty-first century and roadmap to accessing our better future selves.

Moral Tribes: Emotion, Reason and the Gap Between Us and Them

Posted by Dr Terry Cooke-Davies | Sep 17, 2020 | Books |

Our brains were designed for tribal life, for getting along with a select group of others (Us), and for fighting off everyone else (Them). But modern life has thrust the world’s tribes into a shared space, creating conflicts of interest and clashes of values, along with unprecedented opportunities. As the world shrinks, the moral lines that divide us become more salient and more puzzling. We fight over everything from tax codes to gay marriage to global warming, and we wonder where, if at all, we can find our common ground.

Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything

Posted by Dr Terry Cooke-Davies | Sep 17, 2020 | Books |

Joshua Foer used to be like most of us, forgetting phone numbers and mislaying keys. Then he learnt the art of memory training, and a year later found himself in the finals of the US Memory Championship. He also discovered a truth we often forget: that, even in an age of technology, memory is the key to everything we are.

In Moonwalking with Einstein he takes us on an astonishing journey through the mind, from ancient ‘memory palace’ techniques to neuroscience, from the man who can recall nine thousand books to another who constantly forgets who he is. In doing so, Foer shows how we can all improve our memories.

Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why

Posted by Dr Terry Cooke-Davies | Sep 17, 2020 | Books |

When world-class biblical scholar Bart Ehrman first began to study the texts of the Bible in their original languages he was startled to discover the multitude of mistakes and intentional alterations that had been made by earlier translators. In Misquoting Jesus, Ehrman tells the story behind the mistakes and changes that ancient scribes made to the New Testament and shows the great impact they had upon the Bible we use today. He frames his account with personal reflections on how his study of the Greek manuscripts made him abandon his once ultraconservative views of the Bible.

Megaprojects and Risk: An Anatomy of Ambition

Posted by Dr Terry Cooke-Davies | Sep 17, 2020 | Books |

Megaprojects and Risk provides the first detailed examination of the phenomenon of megaprojects. It is a fascinating account of how the promoters of multi-billion dollar megaprojects systematically and self-servingly misinform parliaments, the public and the media in order to get projects approved and built. It shows, in unusual depth, how the formula for approval is an unhealthy cocktail of underestimated costs, overestimated revenues, undervalued environmental impacts and overvalued economic development effects. This results in projects that are extremely risky, but where the risk is concealed from MPs, taxpayers and investors. The authors not only explore the problems but also suggest practical solutions drawing on theory, experience and hard, scientific evidence from the several hundred projects in twenty nations and five continents that illustrate the book. Accessibly written, it will be the standard reference for students, scholars, planners, economists, auditors, politicians and interested citizens for many years to come.

Subject: Subject categories

Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything

Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why

Megaprojects and Risk: An Anatomy of Ambition

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