Science and Immortality

Science and Immortality PDF Author: Charles B. Paul
Publisher: University of California Press
ISBN: 0520304047
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 218

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Book Description
From the eighteenth century until as recently as World War II, the natural scientist was depicted as a kind of moral superhero: objective, modest, ascetic, and selflessly dedicated to the betterment of humanity. What accounts for the widespread diffusion of this myth? In Science and Immortality, Charles B. Paul provides a partial explanation. The modern ideology of the scientist as disinterested seeker after truth arose partly through the transformation of an ancient literary form—the commemoration of heroes. In 1699 Bernard de Fontenelle, as Secretary of the Paris Academy of Sciences, inaugurated the tradition of the éloge, or eulogy, in honor of members of the Academy. The moral qualities that had once been attributed to the idealized Stoic philosopher were transferred in the eulogies to the "natural philosopher," or scientist. The over two hundred éloges composed between 1699 and 1791 by Fontenelle and his successors—Mairan, Fouchy, and Condorcet—served as a powerful device for the popularization of science. It was the intention of the secretaries, though, not only to exhibit the natural scientist as a modern-day hero but also to present a truthful record of scientific activity in France. Paul examines the éloges both as a literary form that used rhetorical and stylistic devises to reconcile these two conflicting goals and as a collective biography of a new breed of savants—one that already contained the seed of the conflict between self-image and reality embedded in the modern scientific enterprise. A unique history of science in eighteenth-century France, Science and Immortality illuminates the record in the éloges of the professionalization of some sciences and the maturation of others, the recognition of their utility to society and the state, and the widening trust in science as the remedy to economic restriction and political absolutism. Paul's thorough catalog of the éloges, extensive bibliography, and translations of representative éloges make this book an essential source for scholars in the field. This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1980.

Science and Immortality

Science and Immortality PDF Author: Charles B. Paul
Publisher: University of California Press
ISBN: 0520304047
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 218

Get Book

Book Description
From the eighteenth century until as recently as World War II, the natural scientist was depicted as a kind of moral superhero: objective, modest, ascetic, and selflessly dedicated to the betterment of humanity. What accounts for the widespread diffusion of this myth? In Science and Immortality, Charles B. Paul provides a partial explanation. The modern ideology of the scientist as disinterested seeker after truth arose partly through the transformation of an ancient literary form—the commemoration of heroes. In 1699 Bernard de Fontenelle, as Secretary of the Paris Academy of Sciences, inaugurated the tradition of the éloge, or eulogy, in honor of members of the Academy. The moral qualities that had once been attributed to the idealized Stoic philosopher were transferred in the eulogies to the "natural philosopher," or scientist. The over two hundred éloges composed between 1699 and 1791 by Fontenelle and his successors—Mairan, Fouchy, and Condorcet—served as a powerful device for the popularization of science. It was the intention of the secretaries, though, not only to exhibit the natural scientist as a modern-day hero but also to present a truthful record of scientific activity in France. Paul examines the éloges both as a literary form that used rhetorical and stylistic devises to reconcile these two conflicting goals and as a collective biography of a new breed of savants—one that already contained the seed of the conflict between self-image and reality embedded in the modern scientific enterprise. A unique history of science in eighteenth-century France, Science and Immortality illuminates the record in the éloges of the professionalization of some sciences and the maturation of others, the recognition of their utility to society and the state, and the widening trust in science as the remedy to economic restriction and political absolutism. Paul's thorough catalog of the éloges, extensive bibliography, and translations of representative éloges make this book an essential source for scholars in the field. This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1980.

The Book of Immortality

The Book of Immortality PDF Author: Adam Gollner
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1439109435
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 416

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Book Description
An exploration of one of the most universal human obsessions charts the rise of longevity science from its alchemical beginnings to modern-day genetic interventions and enters the world of those whose lives are shaped by a belief in immortality.

The Quest for Immortality: Science at the Frontiers of Aging

The Quest for Immortality: Science at the Frontiers of Aging PDF Author: Bruce A. Carnes
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
ISBN: 0393245888
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 256

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Book Description
"This is by far the best book I've read on the science of aging."—Andrew Weil, M.D. "Life-span Truth Will Set You Free from Age-old Worries," announced the Chicago Tribune upon the first publication of this book. The New England Journal of Medicine confirmed, "For readers interested in aging and longevity, this small book clearly explains the major concepts...extremely enjoyable to read." From NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw to Scientific American to the New York Times, S. Jay Olshansky and Bruce A. Carnes have stirred up controversy and brought clarity to an issue often muddled by exaggeration and pseudoscience. Medical science has uncovered a host of answers to the problems of aging, but many of the most exciting discoveries are buried in scientific journals or overshadowed by popular quick-fix treatments. The Quest for Immortality explains the real science of aging and shows which treatments offered by today's multi-billion-dollar anti-aging industries offer real hope, and which are a waste of money and time.

Long for This World

Long for This World PDF Author: Jonathan Weiner
Publisher: Harper Collins
ISBN: 0062000217
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 322

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Book Description
“[A] searching and surprisingly witty look at the scientific odds against tomorrow.” —Timothy Ferris Jonathan Weiner—winner of the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Critics Circle Award, and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, and one of the most distinguished popular science writers in America—examines “the strange science of immortality” in Long for This World. A fast-paced, sure-to-astonish scientific adventure from “one of our finest science journalists” (Jonah Lehrer), Weiner’s Long for This World addresses the ageless question, “Is there a secret to eternal youth?” And has it, at long last, been found?

Science and the Afterlife Experience

Science and the Afterlife Experience PDF Author: Chris Carter
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1594774994
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
Languages : en
Pages : 384

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Book Description
Reveals the evidence of life beyond death • Examines 125 years of scientific research into reincarnation, apparitions, and communication with the dead showing these phenomena are real • Reveals the existence of higher planes of consciousness where the souls of the dead can choose to advance or manifest once again on Earth • Explains how these findings have been ignored and denied because they are incompatible with materialist doctrines In this book, Chris Carter shows that evidence of life beyond death exists and has been around for millennia, predating any organized religion. Focusing on three key phenomena--reincarnation, apparitions, and communications from the dead--Carter reveals 125 years of documented scientific studies by independent researchers and the British and American Societies for Psychical Research that rule out hoaxes, fraud, and hallucinations and prove these afterlife phenomena are real. The author examines historic and modern accounts of detailed past-life memories, visits from the deceased, and communications with the dead via medium and automatic writing as well as the scientific methods used to confirm these experiences. He explains how these findings on the afterlife have been ignored and denied because they are incompatible with the prevailing doctrine of materialism. Sharing messages from the dead themselves describing the afterlife, Carter reveals how consciousness exists outside the parameters of biological evolution and emerges through the medium of the brain to use the physical world as a springboard for growth. After death, souls can advance to higher planes of consciousness or manifest once again on Earth. Carter’s rigorous argument proves--beyond any reasonable doubt--not only that consciousness survives death and continues in the afterlife, but that it precedes birth as well.

Immortality, Inc

Immortality, Inc PDF Author: Chip Walter
Publisher:
ISBN: 1426219806
Category : HEALTH & FITNESS
Languages : en
Pages : 324

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Book Description
"Veteran journalist Chip Walter takes us deep inside Silicon Valley's boardrooms and the world's most advanced biomedical labs to reveal the incredible new science of extending human lifespan. Here are the bold business moves funded by Google and made by Apple chairman and Calico CEO Arthur Levinson; the pioneering stem cell techniques developed by scientist Robert Hariri; the transformative enterprises established by genomics genius Craig Venter; and the mind-bending future envisioned by thought leader Ray Kurzweil--all pointing toward a time not too long from now when we will live without disease or diminished faculties far beyond the age of 100. It's an audacious cast of characters, and through their stories you will come to understand how groundbreaking discoveries in gene therapy, molecular biology, and artificial intelligence are cracking the aging process--and could even lead to immortality. As Walter reveals, the quest to cheat death isn't science fiction anymore. It's real, it's serious, and it will change absolutely everything--including our definition of what it means to be alive."--Dust jacket.

Immortality:

Immortality: PDF Author: Ben Bova
Publisher: William Morrow
ISBN: 9780380975181
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 283

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Book Description
The first immortals are already living among us. You might be one of them. At first glance, that arresting statement sounds as if it might come from a science fiction story. But it is an astonishing, exciting fact--as explained clearly and cogently by Dr. Ben Bova. In his distinguished career, Dr. Bova has predicted the discovery of life on Mars, the space race of the 1960s, solar-powered satellites, the discovery of organic chemicals in interstellar space, virtual reality, the Strategic Defense Initiative, the advent of international peacekeeping forces, the discovery of ice on the Moon, and electronic book publishing Now he explores the future effects of science and technology on the human life span--and discovers that one day, death will no longer be the inevitable end of life. Dr. Bova guides readers through worldwide research into the biochemical processes that cause aging and death, and shows what scientists are discovering about stopping, perhaps even reversing these processes According to Dr. Bova, if you have a normal life expectancy today, the medical and biological advances that will be achieved over the next ten to twenty years will probably allow you to live long past one hundred The longer you live, the more knowledge scientists will glean, and the further they will be able to extend your life span. With crystal-clear, utterly accessible prose Dr. Bova explains how science could maintain the youth and vigor of a fifty-year-old indefinitely, perhaps even reversing the effects of aging He also offers provocative thoughts on the tumultuous societal consequences of such biomedical breakthroughs, as greatly extended life spans and virtual immortality transform institutions like Medicare, Social Security, pension plans, life insurance, even the very foundations of work and retirement Here is a compelling, startling, understandable, and vitally important study of the greatest challenge--and the most tantalizing opportunity--ever faced by The first immortals are already living among us. You might be one of them. At first glance, that arresting statement sounds as if it might come from a science fiction story. But it is an astonishing, exciting fact--as explained clearly and cogently by Dr. Ben Bova. In his distinguished career, Dr. Bova has predicted the discovery of life on Mars, the space race of the 1960s, solar-powered satellites, the discovery of organic chemicals in interstellar space, virtual reality, the Strategic Defense Initiative, the advent of international peacekeeping forces, the discovery of ice on the Moon, and electronic book publishing Now he explores the future effects of science and technology on the human life span--and discovers that one day, death will no longer be the inevitable end of life. Dr. Bova guides readers through worldwide research into the biochemical processes that cause aging and death, and shows what scientists are discovering about stopping, perhaps even reversing these processes According to Dr. Bova, if you have a normal life expectancy today, the medical and biological advances that will be achieved over the next ten to twenty years will probably allow you to live long past one hundred The longer you live, the more knowledge scientists will glean, and the further they will be able to extend your life span. With crystal-clear, utterly accessible prose Dr. Bova explains how science could maintain the youth and vigor of a fifty-year-old indefinitely, perhaps even reversing the effects of aging He also offers provocative thoughts on the tumultuous societal consequences of such biomedical breakthroughs, as greatly extended life spans and virtual immortality transform institutions like Medicare, Social Security, pension plans, life insurance, even the very foundations of work and retirement Here is a compelling, startling, understandable, and vitally important study of the greatest challenge--and the most tantalizing opportunity--ever faced by

Universe, Human Immortality and Future Human Evaluation

Universe, Human Immortality and Future Human Evaluation PDF Author: Alexander Bolonkin
Publisher: Elsevier
ISBN: 0124158013
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 169

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Book Description
Pt. 1. Universe. Who are we? Where are we? -- pt. 2. Human immortality and future human evaluation.

The Biology of Human Longevity

The Biology of Human Longevity PDF Author: Caleb E. Finch
Publisher: Elsevier
ISBN: 9780080545943
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 640

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Book Description
Written by Caleb Finch, one of the leading scientists of our time, The Biology of Human Longevity: Inflammation, Nutrition, and Aging in the Evolution of Lifespans synthesizes several decades of top research on the topic of human aging and longevity particularly on the recent theories of inflammation and its effects on human health. The book expands a number of existing major theories, including the Barker theory of fetal origins of adult disease to consider the role of inflammation and Harmon's free radical theory of aging to include inflammatory damage. Future increases in lifespan are challenged by the obesity epidemic and spreading global infections which may reverse the gains made in lowering inflammatory exposure. This timely and topical book will be of interest to anyone studying aging from any scientific angle. Author Caleb Finch is a highly influential and respected scientist, ranked in the top half of the 1% most cited scientists Provides a novel synthesis of existing ideas about the biology of longevity and aging Incorporates important research findings from several disciplines, including Gerontology, Genomics, Neuroscience, Immunology, Nutrition

The Physics of Immortality

The Physics of Immortality PDF Author: Frank J. Tipler
Publisher: Anchor
ISBN: 0385467990
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 562

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Book Description
Is there a higher power in the universe? What happens to us when we die? Leading physicist Frank J. Tipler tackles these questions and more in an astonishing and profoundly important book that scientifically proves the existence of God and the physical resurrection of the dead.