History & Philosophy

Bill Bryson has been an enormously popular author both for his travel books and for his books on the English language. Now, this beloved comic genius turns his attention to science...

Discover the secret method used to build the world....

Based on the newly released personal letters of Albert Einstein, Walter Isaacson explores how an imaginative, impertinent patent clerk became the mind reader of the creator of the cosmos....

Bringing his cosmic perspective to civilization on Earth, Neil deGrasse Tyson shines new light on the crucial fault lines of our time—war, politics, religion, truth, beauty, gender, and race—in a way that stimulates a deeper sense of unity for us all....

Her name was Henrietta Lacks, but scientists know her as HeLa. She was a poor Southern tobacco farmer who worked the same land as her slave ancestors, yet her cells - taken without her knowledge - became one of the most important tools in medicine....

How can we make intelligent decisions about our increasingly technology-driven lives if we don’t understand the difference between the myths of pseudoscience and the testable hypotheses of science? Find out....

The New York Times best-selling author of Darwin’s Doubt presents groundbreaking scientific evidence of the existence of God, based on breakthroughs in physics, cosmology, and biology....

The science of emotion is in the midst of a revolution on par with the discovery of relativity in physics and natural selection in biology....

Elon Musk is both an illuminating and authorized look at the extraordinary life of one of Silicon Valley's most exciting, unpredictable, and ambitious entrepreneurs....

Here for the first time, in rich human, political, and scientific detail, is the complete story of how the bomb was developed....

Today's "machine-learning" systems, trained by data, are so effective that we've invited them to see and hear for us - and to make decisions on our behalf. But alarm bells are ringing. Systems cull résumés until, years later, we discover that they have inherent gender biases.

Whether you are a student struggling to fulfill a math or science requirement, or you are embarking on a career change that requires a new skill set, A Mind for Numbers offers the tools you need to get a better grasp of that intimidating material....

For over three decades, Ray Kurzweil has been one of the most respected and provocative advocates of the role of technology in our future. In his classic The Age of Spiritual Machines, he argued that computers would soon rival the full range of human intelligence at its best....

The Pleasure of Finding Things Out is a magnificent treasury of the best short works of Richard P. Feynman....

The Structure of Scientific Revolutions is essential listening for understanding the history, philosophy, and evolution of science....

If there is one belief that has united the left and the right, psychologists and philosophers, ancient thinkers and modern ones, it is the tacit assumption that humans are bad. It's a notion that drives newspaper headlines and guides the laws that shape our lives....

A captivating exploration of deep time and humanity's search for purpose from the world-renowned physicist and best-selling author of The Elegant Universe....

The authors of the best-selling Bold and The Rise of Superman explore altered states of consciousness and how they can ignite passion, fuel creativity, and accelerate problem solving....

Over the last 220 years, society has evolved a universal belief that electricity is "safe" for humanity and the planet. Scientist and journalist Arthur Firstenberg disrupts this conviction by telling the story of electricity in a way it has never been told before....

Philosopher Peter Godfrey-Smith dons a wet suit and journeys into the depths of consciousness in Other Minds....

Listeners learn the difference between how the world works at the quantum level, the cosmic level, and the human level - and then how each connects to the other....

With characteristic pungency and simplicity of style, the author of Sociobiology challenges old prejudices and current misconceptions about the nature-nurture debate....

The follow-up to Pinker's groundbreaking The Better Angels of Our Nature presents the big picture of human progress: People are living longer, healthier, freer, and happier lives....

An essential analysis of the modern science and technology that makes our twenty-first century lives possible—a scientist's investigation into what science really does, and does not, accomplish....

Viewed in over 100 countries and selling hundreds of thousands of tickets, Schwartzberg’s documentary Fantastic Fungi has brought the mycological revolution to the world stage.

In my eighty-eight years as a well-educated wonderer, many of my assumed facts have been proven wrong. I see that as progress a good thing. The challenge is to be able to accept that one of your lifelong facts just isn't true. I have only a few things that I learned that have stayed true so far and have been stabilizers in my world. I think they can be of use to almost everyone and need sharing.

Upon its first English publication in 1959, Popper's The Logic of Scientific Discovery revolutionized thinking about the scientific method. Largely an exploration of the demarcation problem, or what distinguishes science from non-science, Popper introduced and defended his concept of falsifability -- that scientific systems are ones open to empirical disconfirmation -- against the prevailing views of his day.

Emily Dickinson and Charles Darwin were born at a time when the science of studying the natural world was known as natural philosophy, a pastime for poets, priests, and schoolgirls. The world began to change in the 1830s, while Darwin was exploring the Pacific aboard the Beagle and Dickinson was a student in Amherst, Massachusetts. Poetry and science started to grow apart, and modern thinkers challenged the old orthodoxies, offering thrilling new perspectives that suddenly felt radical—and too dangerous for women.

Daily we overlook fundamental simplicities. There are some fascinating things about how things got so easy. This book explores some interesting and captivating history behind everyday things that simplify our lives immensely. Why is your keyboard QWERTY? Why do we have 24 hours in a day and 12 months in a year? To highlight the importance of these simplicities, the book contrasts the daily lives of people who live in Anarcha, where there is no agreed-upon clock, calendar, unit of measurement, et cetera.

Throughout history, across cultures and countries, silk has reigned as the undeniable queen of fabrics, yet its origins and evolution remain a mystery. In a gorgeous and sweeping narrative, Silk weaves together its intricate story and the indelible mark it has left on humanity.

In Nostalgia: A History of a Dangerous Emotion, Agnes Arnold-Forster blends neuroscience and psychology with the history of medicine and emotions to explore the evolution of nostalgia from its first identification in seventeenth-century Switzerland (when it was held to be an illness that could, quite literally, kill you) to the present day (when it is co-opted by advertising agencies and politicians alike to sell us goods and policies).

Science helps us to understand ourselves in a world where we often feel like strangers - but what we know about the world around us, what has already been explored and discovered is only half of science's story. Unexplained will explore the frontier between what we do and don't know about the world: where knowledge meets mystery, complexity overwhelms certainty, and the vastness of our universe unspools the logic of science's established laws. Dr Camilla Pang will teach you to embrace the beauty in the unexplained and fall in love with the search for unknown answers.

"Temporal Voyage" is a fascination-fueled journey that plunges readers into the enigma of time travel. From discerning its theoretical beginnings to evaluating its scientific implications, this eBook encompasses a full spectrum of engaging insights and in-depth knowledge about the science and philosophies of time travel. Our first encounter strikes at the core as we delve into the concept, examining various theories and philosophies that lay the foundation for temporal exploration. The adventure continues with an in-depth look into the physics that could potentially make this theoretical ...

Are you searching for a handbook that will guide you through the complex world of paranormal investigations? Look no further than The Ghost Hunter's Handbook! With over 20 chapters dedicated to all aspects of ghostly phenomena, this eBook is the quintessential guide for anyone interested in ghost hunting. In Chapter 1, readers will learn about the scientific method of investigating ghosts and spirits, providing a solid foundation for all investigations that follow. Chapters 2 through 6 cover the history of paranormal investigations, common beliefs about ghosts and spirits, the psychology of...

Prepare to dive deep into the realms of the known and the unknown with an eBook that is both engaging and enlightening. "Theoretical Frontiers" offers a unique exploration of the most compelling theories and discoveries in modern science. Starting your journey with "Decoding the Universe String Theory," you'll delve into the intricate world of quantum mechanics and branes, providing a grand tour of dimensions beyond our perception. The second chapter pulls back the curtains on Quantum Computing and the intriguing concept of qubits, which could revolutionize the way we process information. ...

Immerse yourself in the eerie and borderline surreal world of zombies, stripped from the confines of fiction and re-animated through the lens of science in "The Science of Zombies." This captivating read navigates the morbid allure of the undead, taking readers on a thrilling journey through history, pop culture, and the nooks and crannies of the human psyche. Utterly riveting, "The Science of Zombies" dissects the variations of zombies we encounter in media, while contrasting them with real-life, zombie-like situations. It sparks a chilling conversation about the chilling possibilities of ...

Welcome to "Eternal Pursuit," an intriguing exploration of humanity's age-old obsession with longevity and invulnerability! Are we designed to endure endlessly, or is mortality an unalterable part of our existence? "Dive in and explore the multidimensional facets of immortality, from philosophical and theological perspectives to the potential technological, biological, and psychological implications of eternal life. Disentangle fascinating narratives of everlasting existence in different cultures, stories weaved throughout time that shaped our collective consciousness. Witness the magic of ...

Do you find it suspect that the HIV virus showed up in two different places (Haiti and Africa) at the exact same time? For the most part, Africans do not travel, or vacation in Haiti and vice-versa (neither place considered ideal for vacation, and relaxation (where sexual interludes often occur), providing a gateway for transmission of the deadly virus. Yet this is where the virus was initially discovered. Science cannot explain how the HIV virus took a leap to these two distinct places in the mid, to latter 1970s. In 1981, AIDS made its debut in the United States; again, strangely, rapidly...

Dive into the cosmos and explore the captivating infinities of the universe with "Beyond the Stars." This book is an immersive journey decoding the intricacies of warp drive technology and the profound ripple effects it can have on our society if it were to become a reality. Chapter one starts by laying out the foundation, giving readers a comprehensive overview of warp drive technology, its hypothetical possibilities, and the need for a deep-rooted understanding of the ethical and societal considerations associated with such futuristic capabilities. As we navigate through the cosmos, ...

In The Invention of the Modern Dog, Michael Worboys, Julie-Marie Strange, and Neil Pemberton explore when, where, why, and how Victorians invented the modern way of ordering and breeding dogs. Though talk of "breed" was common before this period in the context of livestock, the modern idea of a dog breed defined in terms of shape, size, coat, and color arose during the Victorian period in response to a burgeoning competitive dog show culture.