The Complete Works of Thomas Dick: An essay on the sin and the evils of covetousness. Celestial scenery. The sidereal heavens and other subjects connected with astronomy. The practical astronomer. The solar system. The atmosphere and atmospherical phenomena

The Complete Works of Thomas Dick: An essay on the sin and the evils of covetousness. Celestial scenery. The sidereal heavens and other subjects connected with astronomy. The practical astronomer. The solar system. The atmosphere and atmospherical phenomena
Author :
Publisher :
Total Pages : 888
Release :
ISBN-10 : PRNC:32101064233800
ISBN-13 :
Rating : 4/5 (00 Downloads)

Synopsis The Complete Works of Thomas Dick: An essay on the sin and the evils of covetousness. Celestial scenery. The sidereal heavens and other subjects connected with astronomy. The practical astronomer. The solar system. The atmosphere and atmospherical phenomena by : Thomas Dick

Lost Enlightenment

Lost Enlightenment
Author :
Publisher : Princeton University Press
Total Pages : 694
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9780691165851
ISBN-13 : 0691165858
Rating : 4/5 (51 Downloads)

Synopsis Lost Enlightenment by : S. Frederick Starr

The forgotten story of Central Asia's enlightenment—its rise, fall, and enduring legacy In this sweeping and richly illustrated history, S. Frederick Starr tells the fascinating but largely unknown story of Central Asia's medieval enlightenment through the eventful lives and astonishing accomplishments of its greatest minds—remarkable figures who built a bridge to the modern world. Because nearly all of these figures wrote in Arabic, they were long assumed to have been Arabs. In fact, they were from Central Asia—drawn from the Persianate and Turkic peoples of a region that today extends from Kazakhstan southward through Afghanistan, and from the easternmost province of Iran through Xinjiang, China. Lost Enlightenment recounts how, between the years 800 and 1200, Central Asia led the world in trade and economic development, the size and sophistication of its cities, the refinement of its arts, and, above all, in the advancement of knowledge in many fields. Central Asians achieved signal breakthroughs in astronomy, mathematics, geology, medicine, chemistry, music, social science, philosophy, and theology, among other subjects. They gave algebra its name, calculated the earth's diameter with unprecedented precision, wrote the books that later defined European medicine, and penned some of the world's greatest poetry. One scholar, working in Afghanistan, even predicted the existence of North and South America—five centuries before Columbus. Rarely in history has a more impressive group of polymaths appeared at one place and time. No wonder that their writings influenced European culture from the time of St. Thomas Aquinas down to the scientific revolution, and had a similarly deep impact in India and much of Asia. Lost Enlightenment chronicles this forgotten age of achievement, seeks to explain its rise, and explores the competing theories about the cause of its eventual demise. Informed by the latest scholarship yet written in a lively and accessible style, this is a book that will surprise general readers and specialists alike.

Trust in Numbers

Trust in Numbers
Author :
Publisher : Princeton University Press
Total Pages : 336
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9780691210544
ISBN-13 : 0691210543
Rating : 4/5 (44 Downloads)

Synopsis Trust in Numbers by : Theodore M. Porter

A foundational work on historical and social studies of quantification What accounts for the prestige of quantitative methods? The usual answer is that quantification is desirable in social investigation as a result of its successes in science. Trust in Numbers questions whether such success in the study of stars, molecules, or cells should be an attractive model for research on human societies, and examines why the natural sciences are highly quantitative in the first place. Theodore Porter argues that a better understanding of the attractions of quantification in business, government, and social research brings a fresh perspective to its role in psychology, physics, and medicine. Quantitative rigor is not inherent in science but arises from political and social pressures, and objectivity derives its impetus from cultural contexts. In a new preface, the author sheds light on the current infatuation with quantitative methods, particularly at the intersection of science and bureaucracy.

The Annotated Mona Lisa

The Annotated Mona Lisa
Author :
Publisher : Andrews McMeel Publishing
Total Pages : 220
Release :
ISBN-10 : 0740768727
ISBN-13 : 9780740768729
Rating : 4/5 (27 Downloads)

Synopsis The Annotated Mona Lisa by : Carol Strickland

Like music, art is a universal language. Although looking at works of art is a pleasurable enough experience, to appreciate them fully requires certain skills and knowledge." --Carol Strickland, from the introduction to The Annotated Mona Lisa: A Crash Course in Art History from Prehistoric to Post-Modern * This heavily illustrated crash course in art history is revised and updated. This second edition of Carol Strickland's The Annotated Mona Lisa: A Crash Course in Art History from Prehistoric to Post-Modern offers an illustrated tutorial of prehistoric to post-modern art from cave paintings to video art installations to digital and Internet media. * Featuring succinct page-length essays, instructive sidebars, and more than 300 photographs, The Annotated Mona Lisa: A Crash Course in Art History from Prehistoric to Post-Modern takes art history out of the realm of dreary textbooks, demystifies jargon and theory, and makes art accessible-even at a cursory reading. * From Stonehenge to the Guggenheim and from Holbein to Warhol, more than 25,000 years of art is distilled into five sections covering a little more than 200 pages.

The World of William Clissold

The World of William Clissold
Author :
Publisher :
Total Pages : 372
Release :
ISBN-10 : UOM:39015046788553
ISBN-13 :
Rating : 4/5 (53 Downloads)

Synopsis The World of William Clissold by : Herbert George Wells

Astronomy Across Cultures

Astronomy Across Cultures
Author :
Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages : 678
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9789401141796
ISBN-13 : 9401141797
Rating : 4/5 (96 Downloads)

Synopsis Astronomy Across Cultures by : Helaine Selin

Astronomy Across Cultures: A History of Non-Western Astronomy consists of essays dealing with the astronomical knowledge and beliefs of cultures outside the United States and Europe. In addition to articles surveying Islamic, Chinese, Native American, Aboriginal Australian, Polynesian, Egyptian and Tibetan astronomy, among others, the book includes essays on Sky Tales and Why We Tell Them and Astronomy and Prehistory, and Astronomy and Astrology. The essays address the connections between science and culture and relate astronomical practices to the cultures which produced them. Each essay is well illustrated and contains an extensive bibliography. Because the geographic range is global, the book fills a gap in both the history of science and in cultural studies. It should find a place on the bookshelves of advanced undergraduate students, graduate students, and scholars, as well as in libraries serving those groups.