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In a time of crisis, we need a guide to help us calm and stabilize our lives. This is why Kabbalah is being revealed to millions today. Kabbalah is a tool for bettering life, and A Guide to the Hidden Wisdom of Kabbalah teaches how we can use this tool. In a graceful, easygoing style, you'll learn the basics of Kabbalah, and receive much needed suggestions for employing this age-old science to your daily life....

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Introduction: The laws of nature, our place in the world and our behavior have been studied by scientists and philosophers for thousands of years. Along with logical assumptions, science uses quantifiable research and data. Yet our scientists and researchers have discovered that the more they advance in their research, the more obscure and confusing they find the world to be....

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In the words of Michael Laitman, "It is beyond human comprehension to understand the essence of such spiritual qualities as total altruism and love. This is for the simple reason that human beings cannot comprehend how such feelings can exist at all, as everyone seemingly requires an incentive to perform any act; without some personal gain, people are not prepared to extend themselves. That is why a quality such as altruism can only be imparted to a person from Above, and only those who have experienced it can understand it." Attaining The Worlds Beyond is a first step toward discovering the ultimate fulfillment of spiritual ascent in our lifetime. This book reaches out to all those who are searching for answers, who are seeking a logical and reliable way to understand the world's phenomena. This magnificent introduction to the wisdom of Kabbalah provides a new kind of awareness that enlightens the mind, invigorates the heart, and moves the reader to the depths of their soul....

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It is beyond human comprehension to understand the essence of such spiritual qualities as total altruism and love. Even the existence of such feelings is beyond our comprehension; we seem to require an incentive to perform any act that does not promise us some form of personal gain. That is why a quality such as altruism can only be imparted to us from Above, and only those of us who have experienced it can understand it. Rabbi Michael Laitman ......

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CONTENTS11. Inner Motion and Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98 Advancing toward Altruistic Pleasure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104 12. Eradicating Egoism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119 The Search for the Creator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131 13. The Way of Kabbalah . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139 The Desire To Receive Pleasure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146 14. Revelation and Concealment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154 Transforming Egoism to Altruism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169 15. Gradual Spiritual Correction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176 16. Inner Qualities and Outer Aspects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188 Spiritual Gradations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193 Four Fundamental Outlooks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195 17. Merging with the Creator . . . ...

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The Open Book presents the principles of the ancient scientific wisdom of authentic Kabbalah, along with explanations of its basic rules. Kabbalah is a practical method for transcending the limits of one's senses and acquiring a new sense that opens the gate to the Spiritual World, while still living in this world. Rav Laitman clearly explains what goes on behind the scenes in the development of one's soul and the step-by-step attainment of the Upper Worlds. For anyone who wants to understand why our lives develop the way they do, and what we should do to make them develop differently, Laitman sheds light on every stage in the corporal and spiritual life of one who wants to be exposed to this wondrous wisdom. Throughout time, man has sought answers to the fundamental questions of life: who am I? What is the purpose of my being here? Why was the world created and is there life after death. Each of us tries our best to find the answers in our own unique way and through the sources of information at our disposal. Each of us creates his or her own unique perspective on life, depending on what we discover, and the confidence we place ...

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Excerpt: But sooner or later everyone finds out that they can no longer deny reality. Humanity continuously seeks logical justification to our existence. Man has tried to inquire and interpret nature for thousands of years. Contemporary scientists have learned that the more they progress in their scientific research, the more the picture of the world that they discover becomes obscure and difficult to grasp. Contemporary science books look more and more like science fiction, but still they fail to provide us with a clear answer as to the essence of the meaning of life. The wisdom of Kabbalah, offers a clear and proven method to understand the meaning of our lives and our objective in the universe. That method focuses on the development of man?s ability to sense a hidden part of reality. The word Kabbalah stems from the Hebrew word lekabel (to receive), and it expresses man?s aspiration for higher knowledge, to feel and see the broad and real picture of the universe. Kabbalists tell us about practical methods that are based on their own personal experience. Their books convey the method to investigate the reality of that world, to at...

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Table of Contents 1 The Meaning of My Life 2 View on Evolution from the Perspective of Kabbalah 3 Reincarnation 4 Kabbalah is a Science 5 About the Structure of Creation 6 About the World 7 The Purpose of Reincarnation According to the Zohar 8 The Language of the Spiritual World 9 To Feel Another World 10 The Language of the Kabbalists 11 Four Degrees in the Development of the Desire 12 Some Thoughts 13 Freedom of Choice 14 Some Questions 15 The Aim During the Study Shortens the Time of Correction 16 The Contemporary Generation of Kabbalah 17 Introduction to the Zohar, Who is to Blame?...

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Gilbert Keith Chesterton was a prolific writer on many topics. His views of history were always from the standpoint of men and their interactions, and it may fairly be said he saw all of history as a battle between civilization and barbarism. So it has always been, and that remains true even today. But it is especially in the matter of the Middle Ages that the popular histories trample upon the popular traditions. In this respect there is an almost comic contrast between the general information provided about England in the last two or three centuries, in which its present industrial system was being built up, and the general information given about the preceding centuries, which we call broadly mediaeval. As this quotation taken from the Introduction clearly shows, he is no mere pedant reciting dry dates and locations, but a profound thinker flooding new light onto those modern myths that have filled our historys. He is a master of paradox, and the techique of reducing his opponents arguments to the logical absurdity they have inherent in them. He often turns them upside down. All of which makes his work both a sound subject for re...

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History, Essay/Short nonfiction

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A detailed biography of Thomas Alva Edison, inventor of such things as the telephone, the microphone, the electric motor, the storage battery, and the electric light. In the words of the authors, It is designed in these pages to bring the reader face to face with Edison; to glance at an interesting childhood and a youthful period marked by a capacity for doing things, and by an insatiable thirst for knowledge; then to accompany him into the great creative stretch of forty years, during which he has done so much. This book shows him plunged deeply into work for which he has always had an incredible capacity, reveals the exercise of his unsurpassed inventive ability, his keen reasoning powers, his tenacious memory, his fertility of resource; follows him through a series of innumerable experiments, conducted methodically, reaching out like rays of search-light into all the regions of science and nature, and finally exhibits him emerging triumphantly from countless difficulties bearing with him in new arts the fruits of victorious struggle. (written by Justin Barrett, with authors' quote taken from the work itself)...

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Biography, History

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Excerpt: A Scandal in Bohemia; TO SHERLOCK HOLMES she is always the woman. I have seldom heard him mention her under any other name. In his eyes she eclipses and predominates the whole of her sex. It was not that he felt any emotion akin to love for Irene Adler. All emotions, and that one particularly, were abhorrent to his cold, precise but admirably balanced mind. He was, I take it, the most perfect reasoning and observing machine that the world has seen, but as a lover he would have placed himself in a false position. He never spoke of the softer passions, save with a gibe and a sneer. They were admirable things for the observer--excellent for drawing the veil from men?s motives and actions. But for the trained reasoner to admit such intrusions into his own delicate and finely adjusted temperament was to introduce a distracting factor which might throw a doubt upon all his mental results. Grit in a sensitive instrument, or a crack in one of his own high-power lenses, would not be more disturbing than a strong emotion in a nature such as his. And yet there was but one woman to him, and that woman was the late Irene Adler, of dubio...

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Table of Contents: A Scandal in Bohemia, 1 -- I, 1 -- II, 9 -- III, 18 -- The Red-headed League, 21 -- A Case of Identity, 41 -- The Boscombe Valley Mystery, 56 -- The Five Orange Pips, 77 -- The Man with the Twisted Lip, 93 -- The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle, 113 -- The Adventure of the Speckled Band, 131 -- The Adventure of the Engineer?s Thumb, 152 -- The Adventure of the Noble Bachelor, 170 -- The Adventure of the Beryl Coronet, 189 -- The Adventure of the Copper Beeches, 210...

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The Ethics is a philosophical book written by Baruch Spinoza. It was written in Latin. Although it was published posthumously in 1677, it is his most famous work, and is considered his magnum opus. In The Ethics, Spinoza attempts to demonstrate a fully cohesive philosophical system that strives to provide a coherent picture of reality and to comprehend the meaning of an ethical life. Following a logical step-by-step format, it defines in turn the nature of God, the mind, human bondage to the emotions, and the power of understanding -- moving from a consideration of the eternal, to speculate upon humanity's place in the natural order, freedom, and the path to attainable happiness.(Wikipedia)...

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Philosophy

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In The Path to San Damiano four friends are drawn into a search for a mysterious stranger with a reputation for acts of kindness. An unanticipated visit by the FBI and Secret Service adds to their curiosity and strengthens their resolve to find him. Their search takes them to Italy, where the elusive stranger seems just beyond their reach. Then, near the ancient town of Assisi, home of Saint Francis, something extraordinary occurs....

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Mrs. Macy set down her teacup. Peter knew to remain silent. She began, “I want to make sure I understand this situation correctly. Peter observed a man in rags giving a dying man a sip of water. For whatever reason, he was curious about him. He told his friends and we, in an effort to be supportive, joined in a search to find the man. We have not been successful in our search, although we have encountered some interesting stories along the way. Then, suddenly, the FBI and Secret Service show up at our doorstep, looking for the same man, you think. I'm not quite sure why Peter wants to find him, and I am absolutely befuddled as to why you want to find him. You either cannot or may not, but quite assuredly will not, tell us why. Apparently, you want us to trust you. Have you bugged our phones?” Her last words caught the others off guard. The agents looked quickly at each other. Agent Hardy spoke, “Mrs. Macy, we are familiar with your background and past activities. This is a serious matter and we would prefer to go the cooperative route rather than pursuing court orders, search warrants and the like.” 50 “Agent Hardy, ...

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Taking an unusual approach to its topic, “Principles of Anarchism” applies classical logic and deductive reasoning to the subject of human interactions and rights. Beginning with the assumption that all human beings are equal, a concept which is termed the human equality axiom, the author goes on to draw a number of conclusions from this postulate in the manner of a Euclidean proof. These include the surprising contention that no such thing as human rights can exist, the assertion that anarchism is essentially intellectual rather than activist, and the uncomfortable suggestion that historical developments such as cities and industries are harmful to the human race rather than helpful. More centrally, though, the pamphlet argues very simply that any form of authority or government is logically incompatible with the existence of humanity. And it is the implications of this theory, rejection of which requires rejection of the equality axiom as well, which make the argument offered both novel and exceptionally relevant....

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This is a fictional account of events leading up to the violent overthrow of today’s liberal media institutions. The novel is not written from the perspective of the messengers, but the real reasons for the media’s behavior and one sidedness: the puppet masters, those at the top who are really calling the shots. The Brian Williams(s), the Diane Sawyer(s), the Walter Cronkite(s); those are, or were, simply the mouthpieces, the talking heads, the emissaries, the window dressing, the lipstick for the otherwise ugly pig those at the top had turned into roses for millions of Americans over the past century. The publishers, the CEOs, those lurking behind the scenes, hidden from view, not noticed by the public, but making damn sure their ideas, theories and beliefs become a permanent part of Americana. For what purpose? Power...power to influence elections, power to put like-minded minions into public office, the power to cover up the truth, or make certain the truth never saw the light of day. Power to safeguard those they consider friendly, those they consider allies, those who will do their bidding...all without being seen...a good...

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Review by: Frank Lee on July 22, 2014 : Great book! Even though the author classifies this is as fiction, make no mistake. There are facts in here. Also there are familiar players in here (renamed of course). Barack Obama, Hitlery Clinton, Bill Clinton, George Bush, and even John McCain... all present and accounted for. What is fiction is what happens... very enjoyable read! It should be a wake up call for dum dums who still think US News sources like CNN and MSNBC are "unbiased". ...

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Acknowledgements Prologue Day of Reckoning Four Years Earlier The Capitalists Coming Storm CPAC Rescue Operation Future President Another Mission First Logical Steps Getting Grilled Campaign Begins Plan is Discovered The Mole Election Approaches Publishers Threatened Martinez Wins! McKinley’s Last Order Last Mission as Americans D-Day Future Partners Meet Saving His Team Going Rogue Assassinations Unlikely Partners Breaking Scandal Fallout of Election It’s a Go Chatter Unthinkable Occurs The Hours Following The Days Following Epilogue About the Author Other books by Frank Thompson Connect with the Author Excerpt From: Frank B. Thompson, III. “RTF LIARS Violent Overthrow Smashwords June 23, 2014.” iBooks....

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Both quiz and the competitive examinations need a wide database of general knowledge, ways to remember the essentials, and to utilize them at the proper time, during examination, or during a quiz competition. How To Win Quiz & Succeed In Any Exam by Dr Kartik H. Is a book in that direction. The author first gives an idea to build a wide general knowledge base, from the common resources easily available all around us. Next, he explains the tricks and ways, in the form of tools, to memorize this huge collection of general knowledge, in a systematic way. The exercises given in the end of each tool, familiarises us in utilising them. He also tells us exactly how to filter the essentials from non-essentials, and remember only the essentials. Then, the reader is explained the setup of most standard quiz competitions, how to prepare for them and how to face them effectively. By understanding this comprehensive picture of the quiz competition set ups, we are mentally prepared well to face them. Followed by this, the reader is explained how to utilize this general knowledge collection in a logical and systematic way not only in a quiz compet...

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Knowledge Is Power, Fun And an Accomplishment

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Chapter 1- WHY QUIZ? Chapter 2- QUIZ IS A MIND GAME Chapter 3- RESOURCES Chapter 4- QUIZ TOOLS Tool 1: Read / Listen To The Question Carefully Tool 2: Sequentialize To Memorise Tool 3: Memory Tags Tool 4: Internalize The Superlatives Tool 5: Compartmentalize Knowledge Tool 6: Extensive Reading To Build A Good Knowledge Reserve. Tool 7: Beware Of Etsem Facts Tool 8: Connecting The Dots Tool 9: Pattern Recognition Tool 10 Let Us Recall The Tools Chapter 5- THE QUIZ COMPETITION Chapter 6- QUIZ AND EXAMINATIONS Chapter 7- SOME MODEL QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS WITH SUGGESTED TOOLS TO SOLVE THEM Chapter 8 -ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS...

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Taking an unusual approach to its topic, “Principles of Anarchism” applies classical logic and deductive reasoning to the subject of human interactions and rights. Beginning with the assumption that all human beings are equal, a concept which is termed the human equality axiom, the author goes on to draw a number of conclusions from this postulate in the manner of a Euclidean proof. These include the surprising contention that no such thing as human rights can exist, the assertion that anarchism is essentially intellectual rather than activist, and the uncomfortable suggestion that historical developments such as cities and industries are harmful to the human race rather than helpful. More centrally, though, the pamphlet argues very simply that any form of authority or government is logically incompatible with the existence of humanity. And it is the implications of this theory, rejection of which requires rejection of the equality axiom as well, which make the argument offered both novel and exceptionally relevant....

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Bhagavad Gita for Dummies – A book Every Human should Read! This Book explains Bhagavad Gita (Sacred Text) given by Supreme God as Summary in English. The Human (Arjuna) had lot of Questions to Supreme God (Krishna) and he got answers from God for all those. Most of the time to understand those complex words, people giving explanations and interpretation with someone’s life. We are also very comfortable to listen them and read them, but the moment we are back to our normal life, we forget everything. This book is written for you! Considering a common man life like yours! And how to live our life as per the Supreme God’s wordings! What it offers to you: >> All the 18 Chapters of Gita in Plain English >> Interpretations with our Common life examples >> You have funny and logical questions to god; it’s there inside this book >> Guides you to self evaluate, are you ready for it? >> How far you are from your God? Check here Recommended: >> For the one, who wants to practice and experience Bhagavad Gita in Life >> For the one, who wants to understand Gita in its real essence >> For the one, who wants to understand Hi...

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Chapter 1 - The Yoga of Arjuna's Grief Chapter 2 - The Yoga of Knowledge Chapter 3 - The Yoga of Action Chapter 4 -The Yoga of Renunciation of Action Chapter 5 - The Yoga of True Renunciation Chapter 6: The yoga of Self Control Chapter 7- The Yoga of Wise Understanding Chapter 8 - The Yoga of Indestructible Brahma Chapter 9- The Yoga of Royal Secret Chapter 10- The Yoga of Divine Glories Chapter 11- The Yoga of Cosmic Form Chapter 12 - The Yoga of Devotion Chapter 13 - The yoga of the Field and it’s Knower Chapter 14- The Yoga of the Three Gunas Chapter 15 - The Yoga of Supreme Being Chapter 16- The Yoga of Divine and Demonic Chapter 17 - The Yoga of Three fold Faith Chapter 18 - The Yoga of Moksha by Renunciation Conclusion ...

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This paper explores the relationship between Information Warfare (IW) and Public Affairs (PA) and reveals a direct link through the role of propaganda in each. A historical analysis of propaganda in past wars yields lessons which can be applied to formulating PA policy on IW today. In light of the evidence, three possible options emerge regarding the possible IW roles PA might adopt. Option One—a “Hands Off” policy—seeks to avoid any association with IW and represents the current PA approach. Option Two upholds the primacy of truth but acknowledges PA must take an active role in IW. Option Three suggests PA abandon its policy to tell the truth and actively en-gage in all IW activities, including disinformation. This paper finds Option Two as the logical role for PA in today’s environment and concludes with several recommendations to implement the policy....

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1 INTRODUCTION . . . . 1 Notes . . . . 4 2 DEFINING INFORMATION WARFARE AND IDENTIFYING THE PUBLIC AFFAIRS LINK . . . . . 5 Information Warfare and the CNN Factor . . . . 7 Public Affairs and Psychological Operations Roles Begin to Blur . . . . 8 Notes . . . .12 3 A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE OF MILITARY PROPAGANDA . . . . .15 Revolutionary War . . . . . 16 Civil War . . . . .17 Spanish–American War . . . . .18 World War I . . . . .19 World War II: The War against Germany . . . . .21 World War II: The War against Japan . . . . .23 Korea and Vietnam . . . .24 Grenada, Panama, and the Persian Gulf War . . . . . 25 Summary . . . . .27 Notes . . . .28 4 PUBLIC AFFAIRS OPTIONS/IMPLICATIONS FOR INFORMATION WARFARE . . . . .31 Three Public Affairs Path Options . . . . .31 Option One: “Hands Off” . . . .31 Option Two: Public Affairs Conducts Information Warfare, Upholding Primacy of Truth . . . . .34 Option Three: Public Affairs Engages in Information Warfare, Including Disinformation . . . . .38 Notes . . . .40 5 CONCLUSION . . . . .43...

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The Theory Of Interpretive Relativity: A Unified Map Of Literary Theory is a comprehensive study organizing and mapping all literary interpretive theory, from classical philosophy to postmodern theory, into one formulaic model. Interpretive Relativity uses, for its method of organizational strategy, the philosophy of relativism to explain how all theoretical interpretation compliment one another rather than contradict one another. This thesis uses extensive graphs and illustrations to aid in the visualization of how mapping theoretical interpretations is possible. The piece of literature, work of art, that is used through out the study is Shakespeare’s Hamlet. In other words, this thesis show how the philosophy of Einstein’s general theory of relativity could be applied to Hamlet....

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“The long concatenations of simple and easy reasoning which geometricians use in achieving their most difficult demonstrations gave me occasion to imagine that all matters which may enter the human mind were interrelated in the same fashion.” -- René Descartes ...

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I. INTRODUCTION: MATHEMATICAL CONSTRUCT STRATEGIES FOR GRAPHING LITERARY INTERPRETATION THEORIES INTO A VISUAL FIGURE, DEFINING TERMS 1 II. MAPPING LITERARY THEORY: DEFINING THE BODY OF LITERATURE, Ln, AND MESSAGE, EMBODIED IN ART, Ln 10 III. FORMING THE X AXIS: SETTING VALUES FOR X AS SIGN, SIGNIFICATION, AND SIGNAL (X1, X2, X3) 18 X1: Sign, Encoding Meaning 21 X2: Signification: The Three Aspects to the Value X2, Concept in a Medium, X21, X22, X23 23 X3: Signal, Decoding Meaning Plotting the 2s OF B’s X31, X32, X33 30 IV. FORMING THE Y AXIS: THE AUDIENCE’S INFINITE MULTIFARIOUS “REALIZATION” 36 The Search for 1: The Messenger and the Author 38 Y 1: The Author’s text 45 Y 2: The Text 50 Y 3: The World 54 Y 4: The Reader 57 V. FORMING THE Z AXIS: VALUES FOR Z, APPLIED RHETORICAL IDEOLOGY 65 Z 1: Marxist Literary Criticism 67 Z 2: Deconstruction Criticism 71 Z 3: Multicultural Literary Criticism 77 Z 4: Psychoanalytic Literary Criticism 80 Z 5: Liberation Literary Criticism 84 VI. CONCLUSION 87...

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In the history of thought and creation, the decisive events, the great and significant moments, the strongly affirmative stages - then the imposition of the optimizing novelties - have depended on the name and prestige of a personality. Referring to those, we personalize further on. The examples are extremely numerous, even in our nearest past. When we mention a creation - in the largest sense of the term - with the name of the personality who illustrates it most extensively at a given time, we state precisely the specific importance of it; we give it, with other words, the identity to which we can refer continuously with full knowledge and without causing any confusion among the receivers. The facts are called with the name of the man who produced them, and in this way we can compose a parallel onomastic dictionary, in which the work is included in the person’s space, keeping its content. The consecrated proper names evolve through quickly imposed habits, a large range of increments that announce the essential outline of their peak production. No space for ambiguity remains when we address to readers or listeners who are...

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In aesthetics, the paradox means the apparent resolution of an enigmatic situation (the result of such a process is the satisfaction of a distention), the emotional moving force being the unforeseen, the unexpected (which generates and also perturbs a new tension). Therefore, the paradox is simultaneously a conclusion and a provocation, consisting in the concomitance of the opposites, which gives it a real specificity. The paradox is of the nature of an explosive nucleus resulting from the fusion of satisfaction and anxiety. The first situation, during an instant, is derived from the appearance of something with a convincing meaning; the second one, that comes immediately, is the perception of something concealed and absurd. Something, that is dissimulated under the level of the logical acceptance, jumps out abruptly in the main point to consider and constrains to acknowledgment. It looks as if it were an error, but not so big as to take alarm and not even to be clearly inhibited. It is a mechanism of exception in thought, that will accepted with the complicity of a total sympathetic tolerance. The aesthetic behaviour of ...

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The Science of Kabbalah (Pticha) is the first in a series of texts that Rav Michael Laitman, Kabbalist and scientist, designed to introduce readers to the special language and terminology of the Kabbalah. Here, Rav Laitman reveals authentic Kabbalah in a manner that is both rational and mature. Readers are gradually led to an understanding of the logical design of the Universe and the life whose home it is. The Science of Kabbalah, a revolutionary work that is unmatched in its clarity, depth, and appeal to the intellect, will enable readers to approach the more technical works of Baal HaSulam (Rabbi Yehuda Ashlag), such as 'Talmud Eser Sefirot' and Zohar. Although scientists and philosophers will delight in its illumination, laymen will also enjoy the satisfying answers to the riddles of life that only authentic Kabbalah provides. Now, travel through the pages and prepare for an astonishing journey into the 'Upper Worlds'....

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For many centuries, the wisdom of Kabbalah was inaccessible to anyone who could not read Hebrew. Now, for the first time in the history of the Western World, readers of the English language and serious students of Kabbalah have the opportunity to learn the Wisdom of Kabbalah from the 20th Century's greatest Kabbalist, Baal HaSulam. In this text,* the student will find a systematic, graduated exposition of Kabbalah unlike any treatment found in other available texts. This text comes with a brilliant commentary by Michael Laitman, a scientist and Kabbalist who received the Tradition from that illustrious chain that includes the Ari, Baal HaSulam, and his teacher, Rabash ......

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“It is, for that matter, self-evident that if one community decides in one fashion, another, also sovereign, in the opposite fashion, both cannot be right. Reasoning men have also protested, and justly, against the conception that what a majority in numbers, or even (what is more compelling still) a unanimity of decision in a community may order, may not only be wrong but may be something which that community has no authority to order since, though it possesses a civil and temporal authority, it acts against that ultimate authority which is its own consciousness of right. Men may and do justly protest against the doctrine that a community is incapable of doing deliberate evil; it is as capable of such an action as is an individual. But men nowhere do or can deny that the community acting as it thinks right is ultimately sovereign: there is no alternative to so plain a truth.” - Hilaire Belloc...

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History

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Spanning periods spent in a vast range of locations, an identifiable style begins to crystallize, which links seemingly disparate expressions, heedless of media employed. A forthright, earnest, and earthy vein courses through the works of Jesse Waugh, as he endeavors to deliver pulchritude manifest. The compendium concludes with The Pulchrist Manifesto, which should serve to define the art movement which has been inaugurated by Jesse Waugh....

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I first noticed Jesse Waugh as a young student at L.A.City College in 1995. He would sit in the History of Cinema class, on the right hand side of one of the front rows of the college movie theater, with his roaring twenties-style, buzzed-on-the-back-and-sides, neatly-combed-on-top haircut. When I saw him working at the Temporary Contemporary Art Museum downtown I approached him to model for some photos, not realizing how well my offer fit into his particular style of self-expression. The intention behind Jesse’s art, while it can’t be pinned down in a few words, has a lot to do with exploring—or a more precise word might be celebrating—the self and the ego. His work is informed by his religious upbringing in a California church with a doctrine based in Hinduism. While riffing on the church’s mythology and iconography, Jesse’s art is in part a howl of dissent against its core ideas, or at least the way they have become codified. There’s a concept I once heard expressed by Guru Singh of Yoga West—one of the pre-eminent American teachers of Kundalini Yoga—that rather than suppressing the ego, we should work to expand it out to infi...

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FOREWARD 4 INTRODUCTION 5 FILM 7 OBJECTS 23 IMAGES 43 PERFORMANCES 63 MUSIC 71 ARCHITECTURE 79 GALLERY 93 LOGOS 113 PUBLICATIONS 115 PRODUCTS 125 THE PULCHRIST MANIFESTO 141...

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DISCLAIMER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ii FOREWORD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii ABOUT THE AUTHOR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix PREFACE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi 1 PREPARING TO TALK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Types of Speaking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Briefing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Teaching Lecture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Speech . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Audience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Audience Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Audience Attitude . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Subject . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Selecting the Subject . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Narrowing the Subject . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Choosing a Title . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Objectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 General Responses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Specific Responses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Gathering Material . . . . . . . . . . ....

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For most of the 20th century, both relativity and star travel fascinated this writer. The reasons Albert Einstein concluded there is an absolute barrier at the speed of light seemed at first clear, then later not so clear upon closer examination. "The speed of light relative to what?" I often asked anyone who would listen. The common response was, "Light needs no specification of that kind; its speed is the same no matter who measures it." "That's true." I would respond; "That's just the second postulate of special relativity which is not in doubt; but that postulate applies to light, and we're talking about rocketships here." However it seemed that no one understood what I was saying. By referring to the universal constant c= 299.792 458 megameters per second as "the speed of light," we paint ourselves into a logical corner in which light is automatically taken as the subject of discussion even when it is not. The careful reader will know not to immediately think "light" when he hears or reads "the speed of light." But it is better to have a neutral name for that universal constant. It has been called the Lorentz speed; Ignaz...

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One's reach should exceed one's grasp. Thus we reach for Alpha Centauri with a round-trip manned and womanned mission as the proposed overarching goal under a clear plan of exploration - a grand experiment described in later chapters. Whether or not we succeed in grasping the goal under this or under any plan is not as important as it is to set a definite plan and work towards its goal. The plan outlined here is in two phases: Phase one has a high probability of success, given the required propulsion system; the chances of phase two working will be indicated by results obtained from phase one. A fundamental problem is the one of propulsion. It is important to the working of this plan, a highly optimistic one, that the engine be capable of a sustained acceleration of ¼ G in phase one and 1G in phase two. (1G = 9.80665 m/s2) Such an engine is within the reach of present ideas....

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Prefaces. 6 -- Ch.1. Introduction . 11 -- Ch.2. The Human Barrier. 14 -- Ch.3. An Overview. 18 -- Ch.4. Acceleration Due to Light Pressure. 21 -- Ch.5. Light Sailing is Not All There Is. 27 -- Ch.6. Einstein's Light Barrier. 32 -- Ch.7. The Phase One Experiment: The First Starship. 37 -- Ch.8. The Phase Two Experiment: Alpha Centauri or Bust!. 45 -- Ch.9. Voyage to the Center of the Galaxy. 50 -- Ch.10. An Hypothesis: There is no Speed Barrier in the Universe. 52 --...

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The introduction to Hegel's lectures on the philosophy of world history is often used to introduce students to Hegel's philosophy, in part because Hegel's sometimes difficult style is muted in the lectures, and he discourses on accessible themes such as world events in order to explain his philosophy. Much of the work is spent defining and characterizing Geist or spirit. Geist is similar to the culture of people, and is constantly reworking itself to keep up with the changes of society, while at the same time working to produce those changes through what Hegel called the cunning of reason. Another important theme of the text is the focus on world history, rather than regional or state history. The obscure writings of Jakob Böhme had a strong effect on Hegel. Böhme had written that the Fall of Man was a necessary stage in the evolution of the universe. This evolution was, itself, the result of God's desire for complete self-awareness. Hegel was fascinated by the works of Spinoza, Kant, Rousseau, and Goethe, and by the French Revolution. Modern philosophy, culture, and society seemed to Hegel fraught with contradictions and tensions, ...

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Philosophy, History

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Sustainability of the environment implies both wishful thinking and ignorance – ignorance of the reality that natural systems are complex and unfathomable by scientists, and that repetition of research outputs depend on repetition of initial and all subsequent conditions. Scientific insights provide knowledge, but it is partial in most cases, and when applied is often subject to conflicting objectives, which in turn produce conditions that affect outcomes - thus our best efforts to predict natural outcomes are usually flawed. We further display our ignorance in seeking social sustainability while we behave inequitably towards groups other than ‘us’ and invoke spurious reasoning to justify further research. The effect of ignorant self-interest is played out daily in our largest intervention in the natural environment – agriculture, which is why agriculture provides perhaps the best model for consideration of the ideal of sustainability. From ancient Asian wisdom through modern global forces and technology to the central environmental issue of food production, we have identified some necessary conditions for sustainability. Yet, ou...

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Table of Contents Author and Publisher Information iii Acknowledgements ix Author’s Foreword xi Chapter 1 Stepping Back to Survey the Landscape 1 Chapter 2 The Unacknowledged Debt to Asia: A Different Agricultural and Environmental Reality 13 Agriculture’s Legacy 14 Agricultural Origins 15 Contact with the West 23 Religion, Nature and Agriculture 26 ‘Indianised’ Agriculture 31 Secular Approaches 34 Common Heritage 38 Chapter 3 Global Development Forces on Agriculture and the Environment 41 Agricultural Environments 43 Global Development Forces 51 Sustainable Development and Traditions 56 Sustainability: A Local or Foreign Influence? 59 Practical Alternatives 61 24 Sustainability: Elusive or Illusion? Wise Environmental Intervention Policy Implications 63 Chapter 4 Technology and Food Needs: GMOs for GFN: Genetically Modified Organisms and Global Food Needs 69 Global Food Needs 72 GMO Technologies 74 Revisiting the Green Revolution 76 Issues and Risks 79 Making a Decision 81 Chapter 5 Re-conceiving Food Security & Environmental Protection 87 Feeling Secure 89 The IFPRI World Food Situation 91 Conventional Consideratio...

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This book was intended to discuss some paradoxes in Quantum Mechanics from the viewpoint of Multi-Valued-logic pioneered by Lukasiewicz, and a recent concept Neutrosophic Logic. Essentially, this new concept offers new insights on the idea of ‘identity’, which too often it has been accepted as given....

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2 Lukasiewicz Multi-Valued-logic: History and Introduction to Multi- Valued Algebra 2.1 Introduction to trivalent logic and plurivalent logic We all have heard of typical binary logic, Yes or No. Or in a famous phrase by Shakespeare: “To be or not to be.” In the same way all computer hardwares from early sixties up to this year are built upon the same binary logic. It is known that the Classical Logic, also called Bivalent Logic for taking only two values {0, 1}, or Boolean Logic from British mathematician George Boole (1815-64), was named by the philosopher Quine (1981) “sweet simplicity.” [57] But this typical binary logic is not without problems. In the light of aforementioned ‘garment analogue’, we can compare this binary logic with a classic black-and-white tuxedo. It is timeless design, but of course you will not wear it for all occasions. Aristotle himself apparently knew this problem; therefore he introduced new terms ‘contingency’ and ‘possibility’ into his modal logic [5]. And then American logician Lewis first formulated these concepts of logical modality. ...

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Contents Foreword 6 1 Introduction: Paradoxes, Lukasiewicz, Multi-Valued logic 7 2 Lukasiewicz Multi-Valued Logic: History and Introduction to Multi-Valued Algebra 10 2.1. Introduction to trivalent logic and plurivalent logic 10 2.2. History of Lukasiewicz and Multi-Valued Logic 12 2.3. Introduction to Multi-Valued Algebra, Chang’s Notation 15 2.4. Linkage between Multi-Valued Logic and Quantum Mechanics 15 2.5. Exercise 17 3 Neutrosophy 25 3.1. Introduction to Neutrosophy 25 3.2. Introduction to Non-Standard Analysis 26 3.3. Definition of Neutrosophic Components 27 3.4. Formalization 28 3.5. Evolution of an Idea 30 3.6. Definition of Neutrosophic Logic 31 3.7. Differences between Neutrosophic Logic and IFL 32 3.8. Operations with Sets 33 3.9. Generalizations 34 4 Schrödinger Equation 39 4.1. Introduction 39 4.2. Quantum wave dynamics and classical dynamical system 43 4.3. A new derivation of Schrödinger-type Equation 45 5 Solution to Schrödinger’s Cat Paradox 47 5.1. Standard interpretation 47 5.2. Schrödinger’s Cat Paradox 48 5.3. Hidden-variable hypothesis 50 5.4. Hydrodynamic viewpoint and diffusion i...

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Applications demonstrate the power of the DSmT framework. In this third Volume, DSmT is applied to the entire spectrum of the Information Fusion that would interest any reader in data, sensor, information, and mathematical fusion topics. Highlighted in Figure 1 are the contemporary issues that include the links between (1) data conditioning and information management, (2) combined situation and impact assessment, and (2) knowledge representation between machine processing and user coordination. Various applications leverage DSmT “Advances” listed above along with DSmH (hybrid), DSmP (Probabilistic), and DSmT theoretical insights. The third volume attacks these application issues of coordination between the “levels” of information fusion....

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Part I Advances on DSmT 1 Chapter 1 An introduction to DSmT 3 by J. Dezert and F. Smarandache 1.1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . 4 1.2 Foundations of DSmT . . . . . . . . . 4 1.2.1 The power set, hyper-power set and super-power set . . 6 1.2.2 Notion of free and hybrid DSm models . . . . 18 1.2.3 Generalized belief functions . . . . . . 20 1.2.4 The classic DSm rule of combination . . . . . 21 1.2.5 The hybrid DSm rule of combination . . . . . 22 1.2.6 Examples of combination rules . . . . . . 24 1.2.7 Fusion of imprecise beliefs . . . . . . 29 1.3 Proportional Conflict Redistribution rule . . . . . 33 1.3.1 PCR formulas . . . . . . . . . 34 1.3.2 Examples . . . . . . . . . 35 1.3.3 Zadeh’s example . . . . . . . . 39 1.4 Uniform and partially uniform redistribution rules . . . 41 1.5 RSC Fusion rules . . . . . . . . . 43 1.6 The generalized pignistic transformation (GPT) . . . . 45 1.6.1 The classical pignistic transformation . . . . 45 1.6.2 Notion of DSmcardinality . . . . . . 46 1.6.3 The Generalized Pignistic Transformation . . . 47 1.7 The DSmP transformation . . . . . . . 48 1.7.1 The Probabilistic In...

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This second book devoted on advances and applications of Dezert-Smarandache Theory (DSmT) for information fusion collects recent papers from different researchers working in engineering and mathematics. Part 1 of this book presents the current state-of-the-art on theoretical investigations while, Part 2 presents several applications of this new theory. Some ideas in this book are still under current development or improvements, but we think it is important to propose them in order to share ideas and motivate new debates with people interested in new reasoning methods and information fusion. So, we hope that this second volume on DSmT will continue to stir up some interests to researchers and engineers working in data fusion and in artificial intelligence....

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Preamble iii Prefaces v Part I Advances on DSmT 1 Chapter 1 Proportional Conflict Redistribution Rules for Information Fusion 3 by Florentin Smarandache and Jean Dezert 1.1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . 3 1.2 The principal rules of combination . . . . . . . 6 1.2.1 Notion of total and partial conflicting masses . . . . . 6 1.2.2 The conjunctive rule . . . . . . . . . 6 1.2.3 The disjunctive rule . . . . . . . . . 8 1.2.4 Dempster’s rule of combination . . . . . . . 8 1.2.5 Smets’ rule of combination . . . . . . . 9 1.2.6 Yager’s rule of combination . . . . . . . 9 1.2.7 Dubois & Prade’s rule of combination . . . . . . 9 1.2.8 The hybrid DSm rule . . . . . . . . 10 1.3 The general weighted operator (WO) . . . . . . . 11 1.4 The weighted average operator (WAO) . . . . . . . 12 1.4.1 Definition . . . . . . . . . 12 1.4.2 Example for WAO . . . . . . . . . 13 1.4.3 Limitations of WAO . . . . . . . . . 13 1.5 Daniel’s minC rule of combination . . . . . . . 14 1.5.1 Principle of the minC rule . . . . . . . 14 1.5.2 Example for minC . . . . . . . . . 15 1.6 Principle of the PCR rules . . . . . . . . . 20 1.7 The...

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The first issue of the Kamehameha Journal of Education was published in January 1990 to share ideas, strategies, and research about the education of Hawaii's children. The Journal grew from 1,000 copies to 3,500 copies per issue over a period of six years. Hana Hou is a collection of articles from all twelve issues that represents the breadth of topics the Journal explored. We saw this journal as a chance to improve education and bring important information, strategies, views, and data to educators. We saw it as a vehicle for change: a chance to inform the education of Hawaii's children through research, successful practice, and curriculum and instruction that was relevant, interesting, and meaningful for students. Most of all, we wanted to make a difference for children. The Journal was more than a record of information or a vehicle for authors who were already writing for national journals. Rather, the editors, coming from a variety of disciplines including education, anthropology, clinical psychology, and the Kamehameha Elementary Education Program (KEEP) were able to identify methods and research that were effective and...

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Teaching and learning can—and does—go on in strange places. For so long, parents and teachers delegated learning to a formal setting with four walls, books, and a teacher teaching. Yet, those same parents and teachers taught children many unplanned—and often unintended—attitudes, language, and knowledge outside those walls. We learn from everything we do and the keys are our models and the richness of the learning environment. The three articles in this section describe how experiential, hands-on learning in widely varied contexts beyond the formal classroom may be more exciting, meaningful, memorable, and useful than the traditional style of education that students are largely accustomed to. Editors Gisela Speidel and Kristina Inn describe an unforgettable learning experience with master navigator Nainoa Thompson in “The Ocean Is My Classroom. ” Nainoa describes his path of learning from those who loved and cared for him through what felt like irrelevant school experiences, to his education aboard the Hokulea. In “A Hitchhiker's Guide to Technology,” Ian Jamieson shows us how to make a subject—as abstract and difficult...

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Introduction. 3 -- The Ocean Is My Classroom-Gisela E. Speidel & Kristina Inn Fall 1994. 7 -- A Hitchhiker's Guide To Technology-Ian Jamieson Summer 1995. 19 -- Home Schooling: A Way Of Life L.-Sierra Knight Fall 1994. 31 -- Learning And Teaching The Hula-Mele Ah Ho Fall 1994. 41 -- Information Literacy: A Challenge For Critical Thinking-Elaine Blitman Summer 1995. 49 -- An ?ohana Of Writing Teachers-Joy Marsella Fall 1993. 55 -- Eric Chock: Poet In The Schools-Wendie Yumori Spring 1993. 71 -- Whole Language: Some Thoughts-Ramona Newton Hao March 1991. 83 -- Methods: Teaching And Learning Principles-Anthony J. Picard & Donald B. Young September 1990. 93 -- Encouraging Voluntary Reading-Alice J. Kawakami January 1990 -- 109 -- Cultural Aspects Of Learning And Teaching The Child As A Member Of A Culture-Ginger Fink May 1990. 117 -- Becoming A Teacher In A Multicultural Classroom-Virgie Chattergy Fall 1993. 123 -- The Role Of Culture In Minority School Achievement-Cathie Jordan Fall 1992. 135 -- Kula Kaiapuni: Hawaiian Immersion Schools-Lilikala Kame?eleihiwa Fall 1992. 151 -- When Children Don't Speak The Language Of Instruction-Gisel...

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Table of Contents IN THE HOTEL 8 LOOKING FOR HAPPINESS 10 WE MUST THINK MORE DEEPLY—AND UNDERSTAND OUR THINKING 20 OUR BASIC ASSUMPTIONS 24 -- THE FOUNDATIONS OF OUR VALUES -- 24 SELF-CENTEREDASSUMPTIONS 32 GODBASEDASSUMPTIONS 41 CONCEPTS OF GOD 45 3 WHAT IS GOD LIKE? 46 THEISM 49 PROOFS FOR THE EXISTENCE OF GOD 53 IS AMERICA A CHRISTIAN NATION? 57 WHO GETS TO GO TO HEAVEN? 63 DEISM 65 PANTHEISM AND PANENTHEISM 67 AGNOSTICISM 68 ATHEISM 71 SATANISM 96 AN IDEA OF A BETTER SOCIETY AS A BASIC ASSUMPTION 97 THE SOURCE OF POWER IN A SOCIETY 104 FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES OF A SOCIETY 104 TYPE OF GOVERNMENT108 USING GOD’S LAWS FOR SOCIETY 112 SOCIAL CONCERNS—DO UNTO OTHERS 114 ECONOMIC CONCERNS WHEN ESTABLISHING YOUR IDEAL SOCIETY 115 ECONOMIC EFFICIENCY117 THE WELFARE STATE—CRADLE TO GRAVE BENEFITS 119 RETIREMENT PENSIONS 125 HEALTH CARE128 HEALTH CARE AND AGING POPULATIONS 130 WORKING AND RESTING IN THE WELFARE STATE 131 POVERTY IS RELATIVE 134 PENSIONS 134 SICK LEAVE 135 HIGH TAXES 137 BALANCING THE BUDGET—TAXES FOR YOUR IDEAL SOCIETY 138 ECONOMIC GROWTH RATE 146 REAL WEALTH PER PERSON 147 BORROWING 147 BUDGET DEFICITS AND NATIONAL DEBTS 1...

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“I like the idea of mental synthesis very much ... I quite agree that language evolved in a way that facilitates synthesis and transmission of the synthesized mental image. ... I don't think there can be much doubt, purely conceptually, that language was a late arrival. Whatever mutation provided the key to it would have had no selectional advantage at all, and would have just been a useless “organ,” if it could not have linked up to pre-existing thought systems.” —NOAM CHOMSKY, Professor Emeritus of Linguistics, MIT “Boston University’s Andrey Vyshedskiy brings a neuroscientist’s perspective to the discussion of human mental history in On the Origin of the Human Mind.” —Scientific American Mind (July 2009) “I found the Mental Synthesis theory stimulating and provocative. The author puts forward an explanation for the evolution of the human mind based on predator detection that led to increased visual mental analysis which set the stage for visual mental syntheses. The author presents an impressive array of recent research on the brain with up to date references that are highly relevant to his case and the origin of mi...

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Introduction While studying the neuroscience of consciousness, I was struck with certain facts about mental imagery that seemed to shed some light on the process of the evolution of the human mind. The origin of the human mind remains one of the greatest mysteries of all times. The last 150 years, since Charles Darwin proposed that species evolve under the influence of natural selection (Darwin C, 1859), have been marked by great discoveries. Molecular biology described the genetic principles underlying species evolution and identified specific changes in the human genome since our lineage split off from the chimpanzee line about six million years ago (Somel M, 2013). Great paleontological discoveries have filled that span of six million years of human evolution with a number of intermediate species that display both human- and ape-like characteristics. However, the discussion of the evolution of the human intellect and specific forces that shaped the underlying brain evolution is as vigorous today as it was in Darwin’s times. At the center of the predicament about the origin of the human mind lies the question of human uniqu...

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Introduction 1 Part 1. Neuroscience of imagination 5 Chapter 1. Object encoding in the brain 6 Chapter 2. Neuronal synchronization 26 Chapter 3. Imagining new objects 32 Chapter 4. External manifestations of mental synthesis 39 Chapter 5. Humans versus animals 80 Chapter 6: Overall Discussion of Part 1 108 Part 2. Evolution of the Human Mind 135 Chapter 7. Introduction: a quick guide to paleoanthropology 136 Chapter 8. Cognitive evolution through the prism of paleontological evidence 160 Chapter 9. Evolutionary pressure drives better predator detection 191 Chapter 10. Overall Discussion of Part 2 219 Part 3. The “last” mutation 254 Chapter 11. The role of the prefrontal cortex in the process of mental synthesis 256 Chapter 12. Evolution of the prefrontal cortex 277 Conclusions 327 A wish list of experiments 339 Appendix 367 Acknowledgments 400 Bibliography 401 Illustrations credits 428 About the author 430 ...