Gregor Johann Mendel continues to fascinate the general public as well as scholars, the former for his life and the latter for his achievements. Solitude of a Humble Genius is a two-volume biography presenting Mendel in the context of the history of biology and philosophy, and in the context of the setting in which he lived and worked. In this first volume the authors set the stage for a new interpretation of Mendel’s achievements and personality. The period of Mendel’s life covered by this volume is critical to understanding why he saw what other biologists, including Charles Darwin, for example, didn’t. In searching for clues to Mendel’s thinking, the authors discuss at length the origin of his genes; the history of the region of his birth; they also spend a day and then the four seasons of the year with his family; and finally they examine the schooling he received, as well as the cultural and political influences he was exposed to. An indispensible part of the work is Norman Klein’s artwork. In this first volume alone, it comprises nearly 80 original drawings and includes cartoons that enliven the narration, scenes from Mendel’s life, portraits, and plans and drawings of the cities and buildings in which he lived, studied, and worked.

Gregor Mendel, the founder of genetics, is renowned as one of the world’s most ingenious and influential scientists. Nonetheless, he remains misunderstood and enigmatic, his history shrouded in controversy and myth. Escaping poverty, he joined a scholarly community of Augustinian friars in a monastery and studied at the University of Vienna under some of Europe’s most accomplished scientists. He returned to a tumultuous milieu at the monastery as he and his fellow friars suffered a harrowing investigation accusing them of secularism and pantheistic philosophy. Against this backdrop, Mendel initiated an epic set of experiments with the common garden pea that would lead him to reveal the mystery of inheritance. The article he published would become a classic in the history of science. Darwin’s Origin of Species shook the world in 1859. Its impact eclipsed Mendel’s discovery, presented just a few years after Darwin’s pivotal book. Unlike Darwin, who witnessed his work attain immediate worldwide fame (and infamy), Mendel would never know how powerfully his discoveries would impact science and humanity; his achievements languished in obscurity until well beyond his death. “The laws governing inheritance are quite unknown,” Darwin lamented just a few pages into the Origin of Species. Mendel had discovered and presented those laws, which ultimately would bridge the most gaping chasm in Darwin’s theory. In 1900, at the dawn of the twentieth century, several influential scientists independently rediscovered Mendel’s theory, elevating it to the highest echelon of scientific triumph. The new science, christened genetics, immediately generated controversies, some of which continue to the present. Throughout modern history, proponents and detractors alike have coopted Mendel’s theory to buttress their worldviews, fueling the flames of disputes and prolonging political battles. Unquestionably, however, it has served as the foundation for some history’s greatest scientific advances. This book commemorates Mendel’s life and legacy at the bicentennial of his birth. It interweaves traditional accounts of his history with newly discovered evidence to reveal an extraordinary teacher, a resolute priest and abbot, and a complex and guileless scientist whose momentous discoveries have remained essentially unchanged for more than a century and a half.

The major purpose of this book is to present Johann Gregor Mendel (1822-1884) in a real and interesting way based on the most recent historical research and analysis of authentic sources. The authors aim to show Mendel ́s scientific thinking and inner feelings together with his environment and to communicate his message as a multifaceted personality and modern experimentalist. The book draws from the only existing short sketch of Mendel ́s youth, his letters and the biographical ceiling paintings that were made according to his proposal. They form the basis of the self-portrait concept. The structure of the book follows thematic groups covering Mendel ́s activities from a poor village boy in search for education and financial security, as not being physically suitable for running his father's farm. The book does not perpetuate the myths invented by some creative authors to make Mendel ́s biography more attractive. Mendel ́s life and work are dramatic enough without those embellishments. Mendel found happiness in science and he was able to explain the theory of new scientific facts. He was not a tragic figure, he did not work to become famous, but to be useful. His pea research has now been appreciated as a genius accomplishment of a scientist. The book is published at the occasion of Mendel ́s birthday bicentennial.

This book illustrates that the stereotypical representations of Gregor Mendel and his work misrepresent his findings and their historical context. The author sets the historical record straight and provides scientists with a reference guide to the respective scholarship in the early history of genetics. The overarching argument is twofold: on the one hand, that we had better avoid naïve hero-worshipping and understand each historical figure, Mendel in particular, by placing them in the actual sociocultural context in which they lived and worked; on the other hand, that we had better refrain from teaching in schools the naive Mendelian genetics that provided the presumed “scientific” basis for eugenics. Key Features Corrects the distorting stereotypical representations of Mendelian genetics and provides an authentic picture of how science is done, focusing on Gregor Mendel and his actual contributions to science Explains how the oversimplifications of Mendelian genetics were exploited by ideologues to provide the presumed “scientific” basis for eugenics Proposes a shift in school education from teaching how the science of genetics is done using model systems to teaching the complexities of development through which heredity is materialized

Extreme intelligence is strongly correlated with the highest of human achievement, but also, paradoxically, with higher relationship conflict, career difficulty, mental illness, and high-IQ crime. Increased intelligence does not necessarily increase success; it should be considered as a minority special need that requires nurturing. This book explores the social development and predicaments of those who possess extreme intelligence, and the consequent personal and professional implications for them. It uniquely integrates insights and knowledge from the research fields of intelligence, giftedness, genius, and expertise with those from depth psychology, emphasising the importance of finding ways to talk effectively about extreme intelligence, and how it can better be supported and embraced. The author supports her arguments throughout, reviewing the academic literature alongside representations of genius in history, fiction, and the media, and draws on her own first-hand research interviews and consulting work with multinational high-IQ adults. This book is essential reading for anyone supporting or working with the highly gifted, as well as those researching or interested by the field of intelligence.

The history of Science is replete with untold stories and this book is one of these accounts. The author shares a narrative of heredity, an active topic of inquiry long before Gregor Mendel – the father of genetics – planted his peas. One such interlude unfolded in Mendel’s home city and involved the sheep breeder, Imre Festetics. He sought to improve wool and proposed important rules of heredity. Unfortunately, aspects of wool quality, now known to be polygenic, complicate interpretations of the work of Festetics and explain why it is neglected. The forebearers of Mendel never get the credit they deserve. Heredity Before Mendel resurrects Festetics, the grandfather of heredity. Key Features 1) Documents a vibrant community of scholars interested in heredity before Mendel 2) Highlights the work of Imre Festetics, the forgotten grandfather of genetics 3) Desribes political repression which stifled the nascent foundation of heredity research 4) Emphasizes the role sheep and wool played as the first model system of genetics 5) Challenges19th century taboos in Moravia leading to malicious rumors about the inbred royal House of Austria (Habsburgs).

An insightful biography of the great composer, revealing Schubert’s complex and fascinating private life alongside his musical genius Brilliant, short-lived, incredibly prolific—Schubert is one of the most intriguing figures in music history. While his music attracts a wide audience, much of his private life remains shrouded in mystery, and significant portions of his work have been overlooked. In this major new biography, Lorraine Byrne Bodley takes a detailed look into Schubert’s life, from his early years at the Stadtkonvikt to the harrowing battle with syphilis that led to his death at the age of thirty-one. Drawing on extensive archival research in Vienna and the Czech Republic and reconsidering the meaning of some of his best-known works, Bodley provides a fuller account than ever before of Schubert’s extraordinary achievement and incredible courage. This is a compelling new portrait of one of the most beloved composers of the nineteenth century.

Light of the Nations is a philosophical work written by the Jewish intellectual and eminent biblical commentator Obadiah Sforno (ca. 1475–1550). His treatise, an apology for both Jewish and universal monotheistic beliefs, was published in Hebrew in 1537 under the title Or ‘Ammim and was translated by the author into Latin as Lumen Gentium in 1548. Written in the style of a classical medieval Scholastic summa, the treatise’s multilingual and multicultural dimensions reveal key humanist ideas that prevailed in the cities of northern Italy during the early modern period, while also speaking to its author’s abiding exegetical rationality.

The co-creative university has become the main driver of social and economic development stimulating internal (students and academics) and external creativity (companies and institutional environment) as well as cooperation in various areas (e.g. applied graduation theses, research projects, lifelong learning). Intended as a contribution to a better understanding of how universities create value in numerous areas, this book discusses the determinants of creativity and ways of stimulating it with a special focus on approaches and practical solutions relevant to teaching. Examples include problem-oriented student theses, which represent a successful combination of creativity with practical knowledge. Based on the findings of international surveys of students, the author offers an in-depth analysis of the differences between what they expect from universities and the degree to which their expectations are met. Comparing students’ opinions with those of employees of international corporations (working graduates) permitted the author to test the actual utility of selected aspects of university education. Regrettably, both groups of respondents gave low ratings to support for developing creativity, which should serve as a warning sign and inform future reforms at this level of education. This book is primarily targeted to those involved in education, policy-making, and socio-economic development. It provides a rich source of information for university managers on how to better fulfil their missions based on the idea of co-creativity. It also suggests how to improve the effectiveness of research and education in order to ensure that both can better respond to current development challenges.

The Estonian philosopher of science Rein Vihalemm (1938–2015) left two prominent and fruitful philosophical-methodological legacies that continue to captivate philosophers of science: a methodological distinction of scientific disciplines and the practical realist philosophy of science. Edited by Ave Mets, Endla Lõhkivi, Peeter Müürsepp, and Jaana Eigi-Watkin, Practical Realist Philosophy of Science: Reflecting on Rein Vihalemm's Ideas explores some of these fruits that have sprung from philosophy of science, and the applications of those approaches through three main ideas: (back)grounds of the practical approach, metaphysics of practices, and special sciences. The first part features authors who juxtapose Vihalemm’s approach with those of prominent philosophers on the practical and material basis of cognition, providing support and refinement to his framework. The second part delves into the metaphysical aspects of science and practices, and comprehending them. The third part centers around examples of Vihalemm’s approach to specific scientific disciplines within chemistry, biology and humanities. These diverse implications outlined in this book, supported by solid ground and compelling argumentation, offer an original contribution to this field.