Is Future Given?

Book Description

In this book, after discussing the fundamental problems of current science and other philosophic concepts, beginning with controversies between Heraclitus and Parmenides, Ilya Prigogine launches into a message of great hope: the future has not been determined. Contrary to globalisation and the apparent contemporary mass culture society, individual behaviour is beginning to increasingly become the key factor which governs the evolution of both the world and society as a whole. It is a message that challenges existing widespread views, implicitly or explicitly, through mass communication; moreover the importance of the individual's actions implies a reflection of each person on the responsibilities that each one assumes when taking or acting upon a decision. This responsibility is associated with the freedom of thought as well as a critical analysis of fashions, customs, preconceived ideas, and ideologies, externally imposed: exactly contrary to the ideas of those who wish us to be "perfect consumers" in a world dominated only by monetary wealth.

Challenging this drive towards the elimination of freedom of thought in the individual is now imperative if we are to save man and his planet from catastrophe, which seems to be ever imminent and (unfortunately) irreversible.

This last book of Ilya Prigogine provides a small, disputable, but nonetheless valuable contribution towards that end.

Customer Reviews:

A nice little summary.......2007-08-23

of the late Nobel prize-winner's book. He has consistently held in his books that nature is probabilistic even though his explanation of the 2nd law of thermodynamics, that entropy can only hold constant or increase in an isolated system, has evolved. Much of his motivation seems to have been in sorting out why Boltzman and Gibbs failed to satisfy the science community that their statistical physics explained the 2nd law, due to reversible classical equations and Poincare recurrences. However in order to make his probabilistic argument he may have created a loophole. He points to the Langevin equation as an irreversible equation with noise (friction) and he says Poincare should have connected nonintegrability with irreversibility and most dynamics are nonintegrable. However everyone agrees some (simple) systems are reversible (pendulums etc) so how can all of nature be stochastic? Maybe because the noise terms tend to but never go to zero? However in addressing the arrow of time he suggests gravity which is ignored in thermodynamics as are all interactions; but this explanation is also used by others in deterministic models. So it may never be provable who is right; but if his loophole is real I think there may be a simpler explanation.

Statistical entropy in all of it's variations is an excellent inference tool but it is about an observer's measurements and not underlying properties of the system being measured (frequentist approaches come close but usually have to extrapolate). In this case Poincare recurrence maybe non-physical, a mere statistical fluctuation with no actuality. (Prigogine says it is false because he introduces new microscopic dynamics, I'm just saying it may not arise in reality but only through statistical assumptions which depend on observer uncertainty.) I agree with the explanation at the website secondlaw.com that the thermodynamic explanation of entropy is fundamental as it is a measure of energy diffusion, and not randomness or uncertainty as the tool of statistical entropy would imply. In this way the 2 approaches are not contradictory; the statistical is merely a measurement tool for observers while the thermodynamic is real dynamics requiring no observers (ice melts, water crystalizes etc long before man was around). The current argument in wikipedia that statistical entropy is considered more fundamental because the others can be derived from it is silly; there are many types of subjective entropy measures, the basic frequentist vs Bayesian approaches, there is volume entropy such as for measuring expanding gases, configurational entropy such as for crystals etc; however there is only one thermodynamic entropy, Clausius's dS = <>q/T (for reversible systems; calculations change of course with potential variables of volume, pressure and temperature). If anything this should be viewed as fundamental as it is a direct measurement of the physical movement of heat. One should not confuse information theory and measurement techniques with real underlying dynamics. When some authors say 'entropy is not a property of a system, it is a property of our description of the system' they are referring to statistical entropy measures and not real thermodynamics. As Prigogine says 'irreversability is not just in our minds', that it applies to nonintegral systems identified by Poincare but not the connection.

If Boltzman had accepted that his equation was not fundamental but an inference tool then most of the debates would likely not have arisen, including Prigogine's criticism of an excellent tool that did not deserve to be criticized on that basis. However what he has done is to show mathematically how irreversibility can apply at the microscopic level for nonintegral systems (in agreement with macroscopics) due to non-local persistent interactions but has to be measured statistically at the level of ensembles and not individual trajectories. This is quite a feat even if controversial. Nevertheless the standard entropy calculations apply for equilibrium systems and the arrow of time is still mysterious though possibly linked to gravity as he says. More details of his derivations are provided in his book The End of Certainty but it would have been nice to see some discussion of entropy of non-equilibrium systems for which there is no universal agreement. For instance it is said that 'the rate of change of entropy with time for a nonequilibrium stochastic process is always positive.' [B.C. Bag; the following references are also available on the net with a simple author search.] This might suggest he already solved the problem and gravity is not required? But-

R. Metzler et. al. say 'Prigogine introduced novel microscopic laws which are irreversible with time. One reason for this ongoing discussion is the absence of rigorous mathematical proofs of irreversible properties in the thermodynamic limit...ensemble averages do not give a basic explanation of irreversible properties, since they contain an average over infinitely many trajectories. Ergodic theory does not help either, since it needs time averages over infinitely many trajectories...In this model we introduce a model with deterministic time reversible dynamics which can be analysed in detail...The Poincare return time is known exactly...' However this takes us back to the usual complaints about statistical fluctuations. [Is there a real arrow of time if everything is eventually reversible?]

Castagnino and Lombardi have developed an interesting approach to the question of the arrow of time. [Clearly Prigogine failed by his own admission and his gravity conjecture!] 'In fact time reversal invariant equations can have irreversible solutions. [e.g. the pendulum is time-reversal invariant...however the trajectories...are irreversible...]...The traditional local approach owes its origin to the attempts to reduce thermodynamics to statistical mechanics...[however] only by means of global considerations can all decaying processes be coordinated. This means that the global arrow of time plays the role of the background scenario where we can meaningfully speak of the temporal direction of irreversible processes, and this scenario cannot be built up by means of local theories that only describe phenomena confined in small regions of spacetime...the geometrical approach to the problem of the arrow of time has conceptual priority over the entropic approach, since the geometrical properties of the universe are more basic than its thermodynamic properties.'

Obviously the debate continues. While Prigogine may not have solved the arrow of time, his work on correlations is important as these are assumed away in classical physics but they are critical to life!

Minerva Rules Your Future: Goddess-Given Advice for Smart Moves at Work

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Minerva Rules Your Future: Goddess-Given Advice for Smart Moves at Work
Barrie Dolnick
Manufacturer: Harmony
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Motivation & Self-Improvement | Business Life | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Motivational | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Book Description

Minerva Rules Your Future is a goddess-given guide to career rejuvenation and exploration that’s unlike any method out there. With an inspired process that encourages change and achievement, Minerva, the goddess
of wisdom and strategy and the patroness of professions, teaches us to call on all of our resources—practical, psychic, and spiritual—in order to catapult ourselves to new levels of creativity, power, and opportunity.

Minerva shows you how to work with your sun and moon signs to understand talents you may have ignored or forgotten. She also eases you through difficult situations while putting you in touch with the essential elements that make up reality—earth, fire, air, and water. Offering exercises that will open you to receiving power from each of these elements, Minerva accompanies you on guided meditations, helping you create a strong and resilient state of mind.

Redirecting your energies to meet life’s highest purpose requires tremendous courage, perseverance, and clarity. For great and lasting change, it’s as important to open your heart and mind as it is to open your Rolodex. But you don’t have to blaze the trail alone. You’re about to embark on the adventure of your life with
a powerful and expert guide—the goddess of wisdom herself, Minerva.

If you are ready to seek out the path to creative fulfillment, there’s no better guide to launch your journey. Based on years of helping clients make major career decisions that affect all aspects of their lives, Barrie
Dolnick teaches you to

• uncover and heal “creative bruises”—those negative beliefs that get in the way of advancement and change

• be aware of and learn how to use your power—your real ability to influence yourself and the world around you

• identify and maximize your assets

• take concrete steps to do the work you were meant to do

• accept obstacles and setbacks without giving up on your dreams

• acknowledge and share your successes

And this is just the beginning of all you will learn.

Between Death and Rebirth: Ten Lectures Given in Berlin Between 5th November 1912 and 1st April 1913

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Between Death and Rebirth: Ten Lectures Given in Berlin Between 5th November 1912 and 1st April 1913
Rudolf Steiner
Manufacturer: Rudolf Steiner Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | New Age | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Reincarnation | New Age | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | Occult | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Parapsychology | Occult | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Near-Death Experiences | Occult | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 085440287X

The Death of Broadcasting: Media's Digital Future (Frontlines (Sydney, N.S.W.).)

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Facing the digital future

The Death of Broadcasting: Media's Digital Future (Frontlines (Sydney, N.S.W.).)
Jock Given
Manufacturer: New South Wales University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General Broadcasting | Radio | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

General | Television | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Foreign Languages | Reference | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0868404497

Customer Reviews:

Facing the digital future.......2000-04-04

This is the best available overview of the issues surrounding digital broadcasting in an Australian context. Digital broadcasting is the future, for well or ill. It will greatly increase the number of available channels for broadcasting, both in television and radio. It will also allow data-casting and other functions which are probably as yet unimagined. But as with every new technology there are problems. The big one is cost. Digital broadcasting requires expensive new equipment for both transmission and reception. The broadcasters will want to force people to buy new digital TV sets as soon as possible, and the easiest way to do that is stop conventional broadcasts. But that would be unfair on the poor, and a monstrous waste besides. So who will decide when conventional broadcasting ends? And how will public and community broadcasters fare with the new technology? These are some of the questions policy makers are struggling to grapple with. Given's book provides an excellent introduction to the policy issues, and gives enough technical information to allow the reader to come to a more informed view. The writing is a little dry in places, but the information is invaluable for anyone interested in the future of broadcasting in Australia. It would also be of interest to people in other small countries keen to know how digital broadcasting issues are being handled in Australia.

From death to rebirth: A seminar of three classes given at Los Angeles in the winter of 1969

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From death to rebirth: A seminar of three classes given at Los Angeles in the winter of 1969
Manly Palmer Hall
Manufacturer: The Philosophical Research Society
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | Death & Grief | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

Reincarnation | New Age | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B0006X6PYG

Future British Industrial Strategy. The 1976 Mercantile Credit Lecture Given at the University of Reading 7th December 1976.

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Future British Industrial Strategy. The 1976 Mercantile Credit Lecture Given at the University of Reading 7th December 1976.
Sir Ronald McIntosh
Manufacturer: University of Reading 1976.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000L5EXQQ

Integrative Theology: Spirit-Given Life : God's People Present and Future (Integrative Theology)

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Integrative Theology: Spirit-Given Life : God's People Present and Future (Integrative Theology)
Gordon R. Lewis , and Bruce A. Demarest
Manufacturer: Zondervan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0310598303

Policy and the study of the future: given complexity, trends or processes?

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Policy and the study of the future: given complexity, trends or processes?
Ronald D Brunner
Manufacturer: Rand Corp.]
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | Science | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B0006CLCLI

Turning Off the Television: Broadcasting's Uncertain Future

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Turning Off the Television: Broadcasting's Uncertain Future
Jock Given
Manufacturer: University of New South Wales Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Television | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

History & Criticism | Television | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Australia | Australia & Oceania | History | Subjects | Books

Communication | Words & Language | Reference | Subjects | Books

General | Reference | Subjects | Books

History of Technology | Technology | Science | Subjects | Books

Media Studies | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Book Description

Governments are planning a remarkable step in the next decade or so. They are proposing to turn off television services. Not all services--just the transmission by the major networks of "analog" TV. By these dates, it is hoped that audiences will have acquired the equipment needed to receive "digital" TV. But there are two problems. First, people have to want their TV to be transformed and be prepared to pay the cost of the new equipment. Second, a better use has to be found for the vacated spectrum which justifies the transition.

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Tax Executive, published by Thomson Gale on July 1, 2004. The length of the article is 2452 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Basis studies are given red flags Revenue Procedure 81-70: past, present and future.
Author: Juliane Laura Keppler
Publication: Tax Executive (Magazine/Journal)
Date: July 1, 2004
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 56 Issue: 4 Page: 306(3)

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Customer Reviews:

leadership barriers can stop the entire team process, which.......1998-11-28

many top level managers are goal-driven,results-oriented, and have little patience with any long-term process that needs to be effected by a team.

Average customer rating:
Soil survey of Boone County, Iowa
Wells F Andrews
Manufacturer: U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Soil Conservation Service
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | Agricultural Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books
General | Agricultural Sciences | Professional Science | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B0006E79NQ

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Soil survey of Boone County, Iowa
A. M O'Neal
Manufacturer: G.P.O
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Soil Science | Agricultural Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B0008AGHKE

Book Description

Human remains recovered from archaeological sites can help us interpret lifetime events such as disease, physiological stress, injury and violent death, physical activity, tooth use, diet, and demographic history of once-living populations. This is the first comprehensive synthesis of the emerging field of bioarchaeology. A central theme is the interaction between biology and behavior, underscoring the dynamic nature of skeletal and dental tissues, and the influences of environment and culture on human biological variation. It emphasizes research results and their interpretation, covering palaeopathology, physiological stress, skeletal and dental growth and structure, and the processes of aging and biodistance. It will be a unique resource for students and researchers interested in biological and physical anthropology or archaeology.

Customer Reviews:

primarily for reference.......2004-10-28

Three stars is a bit un-generous and, for the right purpose, this book deserves more. I was looking for an intelligent, not dumbed-down synthesis. Certainly the book is intelligent, well researched, apparently encyclopedic. It is an excellent reference. What it is NOT (at least for me) is a book to read through. This is why: (1) I found the retention of the notes in the middle of the text very distracting. Although I am sure you can get used to it, it really breaks up the continuity between sentences. The fact that the book IS so very well noted aggravates the problem of reading through the notes in the text. (2) A great deal of knowledge about skeletal anatomy is assumed. Although I am reasonably well-read, I do not know the names of all of the the skeletal parts and the potential medical abnormalities, which made parts of the book read like a foreign language. A glossary would have been helpful to me. (3) The information felt very "episodic" to me -- not much more than a paragraph on any topic. This made it hard to stay engaged, because each topic was over just as I was becoming interested.

None of the foregoing should matter if what you are looking for is a reference to go to - like an encyclopedia - for direction. My issues were with the disconnect between what I wanted (an intelligent reading experience) and what I now think is the book's purpose.

An excellence and thoroughness in exposure of the subject........2000-02-29

A quite outstanding clarity in usage of concepts that used to be property of paleoanthropology is achivied here that will certainly provide archaeologists with full account on value of skeletal samples in forensic analysis that includes not only well known paleopathological procedures,but a very vividly exposed summarisation of pecularities that are to be found within skeletal samples of non-pathological character,thus providing full and fruithfull synthesis between social and biological sciencies.Back-up with solid refference and carefull,non-spectacular exposure of results that are achievable conclusive to book's publishing,caries insight into archaeological methodology a large step further.

Good outline of the new bioanthropology.......2000-02-19

What make this book unique is its dealing with various interaction between humans and their ecological milleau in a non-procedural fashion,but rather in an affirmative one.Examples from which author derives his conclusions are drawn mostly from North American stone age,but some sites from Euroasian as well as African prehistory are also discussed.Even a reader with elementary knowledge of human biology can comprehend this book,by its virtue of presenting logic of deduction about biological realities,quite unlike mechanical and mathematic idealisations of old physycal anthropology.Highly recomended title not only for anthropologists and archaeologists but also for everybody dealing with historical and paleosociological issues.

the best aviable compendium in area of osteoarchaeology.......2000-01-10

Chief advantage of author's approach lies in bringing together many dispersed areas that are relevant in understanding individual and social behavior of archaeological populations with critical and introspective evaluation of various up-to-date analythical methods as well as more classical morphology-orientated approaches in physical anthropology.Although,regrettably,there is no attempt to provide sociobiological explanation of cultural phenomena(a very controversial subject) ,neverethless,author's erudite presentation of long-neglected potentials of skeletal material in archaeological context brings so much needed anthropocentric perspective in exgesis of behavioral content behind'bones and artefacts'. ,Bioarchaeology..'with it's comprehensive and concise-styled presentation of everything essential in this branch of science (excavation,taphonomy,wear and striation analysis,dental anthropology,paleonutrition,behaviour-induced changes in osseus tissue,biodistance,paleopathology,dating techniques and many other interesting topics) plus most complete and relevant bibliography is textbook from which both professionals and students worldwide will benefit.

Bioarchaeology: Interpreting Behavior from the Human Skeleton.(Review) (book review): An article from: Human Biology

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Bioarchaeology: Interpreting Behavior from the Human Skeleton.(Review) (book review): An article from: Human Biology
George J. Armelagos
Manufacturer: Wayne State University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Science | Subjects | Books

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Book Description

This digital document is an article from Human Biology, published by Wayne State University Press on August 1, 1999. The length of the article is 2118 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Bioarchaeology: Interpreting Behavior from the Human Skeleton.(Review) (book review)
Author: George J. Armelagos
Publication: Human Biology (Refereed)
Date: August 1, 1999
Publisher: Wayne State University Press
Volume: 71 Issue: 4 Page: 715

Article Type: Book Review

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