Over the last decade the increasing phenomenon of suicide terrorism has raised questions about how it might be rational for individuals to engage in such acts. This book examines a range of different forms of political self-sacrifice, including hunger strikes, self-burning and non-violent martyrdom, all of which have taken place in resistance...
Modern crystallographic methods originate from the synergy of two main research streams, the small-molecule and the macro-molecular streams. The first stream was able to definitively solve the phase problem for molecules up to 200 atoms in the asymmetric unit. The achievements obtained by the macromolecular stream are also impressive. A huge...
Using gaming principles to make learning more engaging, motivating, and interactive is a growing trend in web development. It's called gamification, and this book is the complete introduction to its theory and practice.
Learn how companies make us feel good about doing what they want. Approaching persuasive design from the dark side, this book melds psychology, marketing, and design concepts to show why we're susceptible to certain persuasive techniques. Packed with examples from every nook and cranny of the web, it provides easily digestible and...
Reason in Action collects John Finnis' work on the theory of practical reason and moral philosophy. The essays in the volume range from foundational issues of meta-ethics to the practical application of natural law theory to ethical problems such as nuclear deterrence, obscenity and free speech, and abortion and cloning. ...
Few concepts have been considered as essential to the theory of knowledge and rational belief as that of evidence. The simplest theory which accounts for this is evidentialism, the view that epistemic justification for belief--the kind of justification typically taken to be required for knowledge--is determined solely by considerations...
Whether the pursuit is commercially motivated or purely academic, engineering a novel biological catalyst is an enticing challenge. High-resolution protein structure analysis allows for rational alteration of enzyme function, yet many useful enzyme variants are the product of well-designed selection schemes or screening strategies. Enzyme...
Declarative query interfaces to Sensor Networks (SN) have become a commodity. These interfaces allow access to SN deployed for collecting data using relational queries. However, SN are not confined to data collection, but may track object movement, e.g., wildlife observation or traffic monitoring. While rational approaches are well suited for...
Scientific medicine in Miettinen’s conception of it is very different from the two ideas about it that come to eminence in the 20th century. To him, medicine is scientific to the extent that it has a rational theoretical framework and a knowledge-base from medical science. He delineates the nature of that...
Homogeneous catalysis by soluble metal complexes has gained considerable attention due to its unique applications and features such as high activity and selectivity. Catalysis of this type has demonstrated impressive achievements in synthetic organic chemistry and commercial chemical technology.
An entertaining illumination of the stupid beliefs that make us feel wise, based on the popular blog of the same name.
Whether you’re deciding which smartphone to purchase or which politician to believe, you think you are a rational being whose every decision is based on cool, detached logic. But...
During the last 40 years, biogerontology – the study of the biological basis of
aging – has progressed tremendously, and it has now become an independent and
respectable field of study and research. Numerous universities, medical institutes
and research centers throughout the world now offer full-fledged courses on the...