Book Reviews June 2008

Ten Theories of Human Nature Leslie Stevenson and David Haberman Oxford University Press, 2004 ISBN: 9780195169744 Throughout history we have tried to understand what makes people tick, as well as trying to find rules for the best ways to live our lives. In Ten Theories of Human Nature, Leslie Stevenson and David Haberman look at some of the ideas which have stood the test of time. Continued..

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What Remains to be Discovered John Maddox Free Press, 1998 ISBN: 0333650093 The progress of science in the 20th was impressive, but there are still plenty of gaps which need to be resolved. In What Remains to Be Discovered: Mapping the Secrets of the Universe, the Origins of Life, and the Future of the Human Race John Maddox discusses what some of these gaps are. Continued..

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Relativity:The Special and the General Theory Albert Einstein Routledge, 1920 ISBN: 0415091047 There are plenty of books that will tell you about relativity, but there are advantages of hearing it 'straight from the horse's mouth' as it were. Albert Einstein's book Relativity:The Special and the General Theory gives you the chance to do this. Continued..

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Extraterrestrial Intelligence Jean Heidmann Cambridge University Press, 1997 ISBN: 0521585635 Is there life elsewhere in the universe? And if so how might we find out about it and make contact with it. These are the questions which Jean Heidmann looks at in his book Extraterrestrial Intelligence Continued..

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A madman dreams of Turing machines Janna Levin Oxford University Press, 2008 ISBN: 9780297645467 Mentioned in Gdel's incompleteness theorem Kurt Godel and Alan Turing were two of the most prominent mathematicians of the twentieth century, but their desire for privacy means that it is hard for a biography to tell what they were really like. Janna Levin solves this problem by making clear that much of what she is writing is fiction. In A madman dreams of Turing machines she tells their stories. Continued..

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Descartes' Error Antonio Damasio Vintage, 1994 ISBN: 9780099501640 We tend to distinguish between reason and emotion. Even those who think reason should be a slave to the passions imply that they are different ways of thinking. Antonio Damasio doesn't agree. In Descartes' Error: Emotion, Reason, and the Human Brain he argues that emotion is in fact a central part of rational thought. Continued..

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Making up the mind Chris Frith Blackwell, 2007 ISBN: 9781405160223 When we percieve something via our senses the process seems fairly straightforward. In Making up the mind: how the brain creates our mental world , however, Chris Frith shows that there's a lot more going on behind the scenes than you might think. Continued..

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new theories of everything John Barrow Oxford University Press, 2007 ISBN: 9780192807212 We hear a lot about the 'Theory of Everything' nowadays. But what would a theory of everything really be able to tell us. Would give us new insights into the working of the universe or would it just be an exercise in sterile reductionism. These are the sorts of questions addressed by John Barrow in new theories of everything Continued..

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