Beyond the Myths about the Natural and Social Sciences PDF Download

Author: Katarina Prpić
Publisher: Katarina Prpic
ISBN: 9536218402
Category : Research
Languages : en
Pages : 338

View

Book Description

Author: David A. Steen
Publisher: Texas A&M University Press
ISBN: 1623497973
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 186

View

Book Description
Winner, 2020 National Outdoor Book Award, Nature and the Environment Snakes inspire extreme reactions. Love or hate these limbless reptiles, almost everyone is fascinated by them. Although snakes are widespread and frequently encountered, they may be more misunderstood than any other group of animals. From giant rattlesnakes to mating dances, there are dozens of myths and misconceptions about snakes. In Secrets of Snakes: The Science beyond the Myths, wildlife biologist David Steen tackles the most frequently asked questions and clears up prevailing myths. In a conversational style with a bit of humor, Steen presents the relevant biology and natural history of snakes, making the latest scientific research accessible to a general audience. When addressing myths about snakes, he explains how researchers use the scientific method to explain which parts of the myth are biologically plausible and which are not. Steen also takes a close look at conventional wisdom and common advice about snakes. For example, people are told they can distinguish coralsnakes from non-venomous mimics by remembering the rhyme, “red on black, friend of Jack, red on yellow, kill a fellow,” but this tip is only relevant to coralsnakes and two mimics living in the southeastern United States, and it does not always work with other species or in other countries. Enhanced by more than 100 stunning color photographs and three original drawings, Secrets of Snakes: The Science beyond the Myths encourages readers to learn about the snakes around them and introduces them to how scientists use the scientific method and critical thinking to learn about the natural world. Number Sixty-one: W. L. Moody Jr. Natural History Series

Author: Agustín Fuentes
Publisher: Univ of California Press
ISBN: 0520285999
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 290

View

Book Description
There are three major myths of human nature: humans are divided into biological races; humans are naturally aggressive; and men and women are truly different in behavior, desires, and wiring. In an engaging and wide-ranging narrative, Agustín Fuentes counters these pervasive and pernicious myths about human behavior. Tackling misconceptions about what race, aggression, and sex really mean for humans, Fuentes incorporates an accessible understanding of culture, genetics, and evolution, requiring us to dispose of notions of “nature or nurture.” Presenting scientific evidence from diverse fields—including anthropology, biology, and psychology—Fuentes devises a myth-busting toolkit to dismantle persistent fallacies about the validity of biological races, the innateness of aggression and violence, and the nature of monogamy and differences between the sexes. A final chapter plus an appendix provide a set of take-home points on how readers can myth-bust on their own. Accessible, compelling, and original, this book is a rich and nuanced account of how nature, culture, experience, and choice interact to influence human behavior.

Author: Edwin C. Krupp
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 404

View

Book Description
Dr. Edwin C. Krupp in his latest book, Beyond the Blue Horizon, examines the myths and legends of the sun, moon, planets, and stars. He addresses questions such as: What is the moon's role in lunacy?; How is a match made in heaven?; and Is Santa Claus a modern shaman? More than 200 black-and-white photos.

Author: Gérard Bouchard
Publisher: University of Toronto Press
ISBN: 144262907X
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 193

View

Book Description
In Social Myths and Collective Imaginaries, G?rard Bouchard conceptualizes myths as vessels of sacred values that transcend the division between primitive and modern. These vessels become so influential as to make an indelible impression on people's minds.

Author: Isaline Bergamaschi
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 1137539690
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 342

View

Book Description
This book, which brings together scholars from the developed and developing world, explores one of the most salient features of contemporary international relations: South-South cooperation. It builds on existing empirical evidence and offers a comparative analytical framework to critically analyse the aid policies and programmes of ten rising donors from the global South. Amongst these are several BRICS (Brazil, India, China and South Africa) but also a number of less studied countries, including Cuba, Venezuela, the United Arab Emirates, Colombia, Turkey, and Korea. The chapters trace the ideas, identities and actors that shape contemporary South-South cooperation, and also explore potential differences and points of convergence with traditional North-South aid. This thought-provoking edited collection will appeal to students and scholars of international relations, international political economy, development, economics, area studies and business. /div

Author: Agustín Fuentes
Publisher: Univ of California Press
ISBN: 0520379608
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 349

View

Book Description
A compelling takedown of prevailing myths about human behavior, updated and expanded to meet the current moment. There are three major myths of human nature: humans are divided into biological races; humans are naturally aggressive; and men and women are wholly different in behavior, desires, and wiring. Race, Monogamy, and Other Lies They Told You counters these pervasive and pernicious myths about human behavior. Agustín Fuentes tackles misconceptions about what race, aggression, and sex really mean for humans, and incorporates an accessible understanding of culture, genetics, and evolution that requires us to dispose of notions of "nature or nurture." Presenting scientific evidence from diverse fields, including anthropology, biology, and psychology, Fuentes devises a myth-busting toolkit to dismantle persistent fallacies about the validity of biological races, the innateness of aggression and violence, and the nature of monogamy, sex, and gender. This revised and expanded edition provides up-to-date references, data, and analyses, and addresses new topics, including the popularity of home DNA testing kits and the lies behind ‘"incel" culture; the resurgence of racist, nativist thinking and the internet's influence in promoting bad science; and a broader understanding of the diversity of sex and gender.

Author: Timo Myllyntaus
Publisher: Ohio University Press
ISBN: 0821413570
Category : Forests and forestry
Languages : en
Pages : 188

View

Book Description
Annotation. Six essays by Finnish scholars (which accounts for some of the notes being in Finnish) discuss the "new" science of environmental history, issues and case studies of change over time in forested Northern Hemisphere zones due to natural and human forces, and Western conceptions of wilderness. The editors are with the U. of Helsinki, whose press first published the book in 1999. Annotation copyrighted by Book News Inc., Portland, OR.

Author: Philip Ball
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 0226823849
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 437

View

Book Description
With The Modern Myths, brilliant science communicator Philip Ball spins a new yarn. From novels and comic books to B-movies, it is an epic exploration of literature, new media and technology, the nature of storytelling, and the making and meaning of our most important tales. Myths are usually seen as stories from the depths of time—fun and fantastical, but no longer believed by anyone. Yet, as Philip Ball shows, we are still writing them—and still living them—today. From Robinson Crusoe and Frankenstein to Batman, many stories written in the past few centuries are commonly, perhaps glibly, called “modern myths.” But Ball argues that we should take that idea seriously. Our stories of Dracula, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and Sherlock Holmes are doing the kind of cultural work that the ancient myths once did. Through the medium of narratives that all of us know in their basic outline and which have no clear moral or resolution, these modern myths explore some of our deepest fears, dreams, and anxieties. We keep returning to these tales, reinventing them endlessly for new uses. But what are they really about, and why do we need them? What myths are still taking shape today? And what makes a story become a modern myth? In The Modern Myths, Ball takes us on a wide-ranging tour of our collective imagination, asking what some of its most popular stories reveal about the nature of being human in the modern age.

Author: Ronald L. Numbers
Publisher: Harvard University Press
ISBN: 0674967984
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 304

View

Book Description
A Guardian “Favourite Reads—as Chosen by Scientists” Selection “Tackles some of science’s most enduring misconceptions.” —Discover A falling apple inspired Isaac Newton’s insight into the law of gravity—or did it really? Among the many myths debunked in this refreshingly irreverent book are the idea that alchemy was a superstitious pursuit, that Darwin put off publishing his theory of evolution for fear of public reprisal, and that Gregor Mendel was ahead of his time as a pioneer of genetics. More recent myths about particle physics and Einstein’s theory of relativity are discredited too, and a number of dubious generalizations, like the notion that science and religion are antithetical, or that science can neatly be distinguished from pseudoscience, go under the microscope of history. Newton’s Apple and Other Myths about Science brushes away popular fictions and refutes the widespread belief that science advances when individual geniuses experience “Eureka!” moments and suddenly grasp what those around them could never imagine. “Delightful...thought-provoking...Every reader should find something to surprise them.” —Jim Endersby, Science “Better than just countering the myths, the book explains when they arose and why they stuck.” —The Guardian