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Science at the Edge: Conversations with the Leading Scientific Thinkers of Today
 
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Science at the Edge: Conversations with the Leading Scientific Thinkers of Today (Paperback)

~ John Brockman (Editor)
3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

&&LDIV&&R&&LDIV&&R&&LDIV&&R&&LDIV&&R&&LP style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"&&RAs founder, editor, and publisher of the intellectual forum www.edge.org, John Brockman is well-positioned to initiate and cultivate an ongoing dialogue with today's leading cutting-edge thinkers.  The website is a virtual salon for every type of intellectual and scientific pursuit, from evolutionary biology and quantum physics, to crowd psychology and miniaturized computing.  Through this vibrant and varied online community, Brockman has shifted sharply away from the stereotype of the introverted, out-of-touch scientist and introduced the reality of a fully aware and involved scientific society.&&L/P&&R&&LP style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"&&R&&LI&&RScience at the Edge&&L/I&&R reflects this brave new world, and Brockman has assembled some of the today's most revolutionary scholars from all scientific disciplines to discuss their unique contributions to the development of modern thought. Far from being a catalog of the marginal disputes of a quarrelsome scientific class, this is a thrilling and intellectually stimulating discussion that serves as an introduction to some of the best minds of the 21st century.  This revised and updated version features additional conversations, as well as a new introduction written especially for this edition.&&L/P&&R&&LP style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0.5in"&&R &&L/P&&R&&LP style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"&&RThe book contains Brockman's discussions, many with bestselling authors, on the following topics:&&L/P&&R
  • Population theory, with Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jared Diamond
  • Human nature, with Steven Pinker, author of &&LI&&RThe Stuff Of Thought&&L/I&&R
  • Technology and the human mind, with Ray Kurzweil, author of the controversial book &&LI&&RThe Age of Spiritual Machines&&L/I&&R
  • Ways for humans to make themselves more intelligent, with Marvin Minsky, author of &&LI&&RThe Emotion Machine&&L/I&&R
  • Evolution of mankind's violence, with Richard Wrangham, co-author of &&LI&&RDemonic Males: Apes and the Origins of Human Violence&&L/I&&R
  • Possibilities of robot life, with Rodney Brooks, author of &&LI&&RFlesh and Machines: How Robots Will Change Us&&L/I&&R
  • Cognitive science and brain development, with Marc Hauser, author of &&LI&&RThe Evolution of Communication&&L/I&&R
  • String theory and dimensions of space, with Lisa Randall, Harvard physics professor
&&LP style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in"&&RA selection of the Scientific American Book Club.&&L/P&&R&&L/DIV&&R&&L/DIV&&R&&L/DIV&&R&&L/DIV&&R

Product Details

  • Paperback: 464 pages
  • Publisher: Union Square Press; Updated edition (May 6, 2008)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1402754507
  • ISBN-13: 978-1402754500
  • Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.4 x 1.4 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #379,115 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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    #88 in  Books > Science > Essays & Commentary

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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars New Name, Old Book, July 16, 2008
This is a good book of thoughtful essays on cutting-edge science, by leading thinkers, but be warned: It was published in 2003 under the title "The New Humanists: Science At The Edge." This isn't clearly stated in some of the reviews and discussions on this book. As for the contents, the individual essays, while informative and enjoyable if you haven't previously read them, are sometimes a few years behind the very latest discoveries. With these caveats, highly recommended.
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9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars good read - food for thought, May 21, 2008
I have only gotten halfway through this book and have enjoyed parts of it immensely. However, I must also concede that at times the book has felt a little sloppily edited and difficult to get through. This book is basically a collection of twenty-six interviews and conversations with well regarded scientific researchers, edited so that it reads like an essay written by the respective interviewee. What makes this book a good read are the topics discussed. For example, my favorite single essay/interview so far was by Robert Trivers, where he discusses human deception and self deception, exploring why it exists and what function it serves us.

The book is broken up into three sections, with the first section exploring questions exploring human nature, the second pondering the possible evolution of machine or human made intelligence, and the final looks into the mechanics of the workings of our universe. The authors tend to be professors of Ivy League schools, and most seem to have written full length books associated with the topics they present in this book. I think some of the topics discussed have important consequences for the future of humankind; I am looking forward to finishing this book and delving into some of the authors other full length works that I find most fascinating. If you are on the fence about this book, I would recommend you go ahead and get it. There is a good chance that you will enjoy at least parts of it enough to justify the full purchase.
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