Download or read book The Mechanics of Optimism written by Jeffrey J. Safford and published by . This book was released on 2004-11-15 with total page 228 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For every successful mining district celebrated in history, there were failed dozens whose stories have been largely forgotten. The Mechanics of Optimism documents, in rare detail, the boom-bust cycle of Hot Spring District, a mid-1860s Montana gold camp that did not pay, despite early predictions of a sure thing. Historian Jeffrey J. Safford examines how gold mining ventures were developed and financed during and after the Civil War, and how men, primarily Easterners with scant knowledge of mining, were willing to invest large sums in gold mines that promised quick and lucrative returns. Safford explains how these mining companies were organized and underwritten, and why a little-known district in southwestern Montana was chosen as a center of operations. Relying on extensive primary sources, Safford addresses the mind-set of the businessmen, the expectations and realities of new mining technology, the financial strategies, and the universality of the Hot Spring experience.
Download or read book Anthropological Optimism written by Anna J. Willow and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2023-04-25 with total page 243 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book theorizes the roles of optimism in anthropological thinking, research, writing, and practice. It sets out to explore optimism’s origins and implications, its conceptual and practical value, and its capacity to contribute to contemporary anthropological aims. In an era of extensive ecological disruption and social distress, this volume contemplates how an optimistic anthropology can energize the discipline while also contributing to bettering the lives, communities, and environments of those we study. It brings together scholars diverse in background, career stage, and theoretical approach in a collective attempt to comprehend the myriad intersections of anthropology and optimism. The challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic have recently underscored the larger, longer-term catastrophes of climate change, ecosystemic collapse, social injustice, and antipathy toward scientific knowledge and those who produce it. In this context, exceedingly few anthropologists feel comfortable observing and documenting passively while their research communities face unrelenting waves of (un)natural disasters. We need to act. But we also need to hope. Discontent with the state of the world and cultural anthropology’s turn to increasingly positive, future-oriented, and engaged work have converged to unleash a courageously optimistic anthropology. This book is a timely springboard for this impactful and emergent approach.
Download or read book Summary of Martin E P Seligman s Learned Optimism written by Everest Media and published by Everest Media LLC. This book was released on 2022-03-05T22:59:00Z with total page 49 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Sample Book Insights: #1 The father was upset that his newborn daughter did not respond to noise. He was sure she was deaf. The mother explained to him that it was too soon to say anything like that, and that the baby’s eyes hadn’t yet developed enough to focus on anything. #2 The difference between optimists and pessimists is how they view bad events. Pessimists believe that bad events will last a long time, are their own fault, and believe that they can never overcome them. Optimists believe that defeat is not their fault, and that circumstances, bad luck, or other people are to blame. #3 The core of pessimism is helplessness, which is the state of affairs in which nothing you choose affects what happens to you. Personal control is the ability to change things by your voluntary actions, whereas helplessness is the state of affairs in which nothing you choose affects what happens to you. #4 If we are constantly pessimistic, we will be more likely to get sick, accomplish less than our potential, and graduate less than we should. We will also believe that our misfortunes are our own fault, which will make us feel even worse.
Download or read book On Gaia written by Toby Tyrrell and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2013-07-21 with total page 324 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A critical examination of James Lovelock's controversial Gaia hypothesis One of the enduring questions about our planet is how it has remained continuously habitable over vast stretches of geological time despite the fact that its atmosphere and climate are potentially unstable. James Lovelock's Gaia hypothesis posits that life itself has intervened in the regulation of the planetary environment in order to keep it stable and favorable for life. First proposed in the 1970s, Lovelock's hypothesis remains highly controversial and continues to provoke fierce debate. On Gaia undertakes the first in-depth investigation of the arguments put forward by Lovelock and others—and concludes that the evidence doesn't stack up in support of Gaia. Toby Tyrrell draws on the latest findings in fields as diverse as climate science, oceanography, atmospheric science, geology, ecology, and evolutionary biology. He takes readers to obscure corners of the natural world, from southern Africa where ancient rocks reveal that icebergs were once present near the equator, to mimics of cleaner fish on Indonesian reefs, to blind fish deep in Mexican caves. Tyrrell weaves these and many other intriguing observations into a comprehensive analysis of the major assertions and lines of argument underpinning Gaia, and finds that it is not a credible picture of how life and Earth interact. On Gaia reflects on the scientific evidence indicating that life and environment mutually affect each other, and proposes that feedbacks on Earth do not provide robust protection against the environment becoming uninhabitable—or against poor stewardship by us.
Download or read book Learned Optimism written by Martin E.P. Seligman and published by Vintage. This book was released on 2011-08-10 with total page 338 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: NATIONAL BESTSELLER • The father of positive psychology draws on more than twenty years of clinical research to show you how to overcome depression, boost your immune system, and make yourself happier. "Vaulted me out of my funk.... So, fellow moderate pessimists, go buy this book." —The New York Times Book Review Offering many simple techniques anyone can practice, Dr. Seligman explains how to break an “I–give–up” habit, develop a more constructive explanatory style for interpreting your behavior, and experience the benefits of a more positive interior dialogue. With generous additional advice on how to encourage optimistic behavior at school, at work and in children, Learned Optimism is both profound and practical—and valuable for every phase of life.
Download or read book Dark Matters written by Mara van der Lugt and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2023-09-26 with total page 472 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An intellectual history of the philosophers who grappled with the problem of evil, and the case for why pessimism still holds moral value for us today In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, philosophers engaged in heated debates on the question of how God could have allowed evil and suffering in a creation that is supposedly good. Dark Matters traces how the competing philosophical traditions of optimism and pessimism arose from early modern debates about the problem of evil, and makes a compelling case for the rediscovery of pessimism as a source for compassion, consolation, and perhaps even hope. Bringing to life one of the most vibrant eras in the history of philosophy, Mara van der Lugt discusses legendary figures such as Leibniz, Hume, Voltaire, Rousseau, Kant, and Schopenhauer. She also introduces readers to less familiar names, such as Bayle, King, La Mettrie, and Maupertuis. Van der Lugt describes not only how the earliest optimists and pessimists were deeply concerned with finding an answer to the question of the value of existence that does justice to the reality of human suffering, but also how they were fundamentally divided over what such an answer should look like. A breathtaking work of intellectual history by one of today's leading scholars, Dark Matters reveals how the crucial moral aim of pessimism is to find a way of speaking about suffering that offers consolation and does justice to the fragility of life.
Download or read book Economics of Pessimism and Optimism written by Kiyohiko G. Nishimura and published by Springer. This book was released on 2017-11-13 with total page 341 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is the first book to investigate individual’s pessimistic and optimistic prospects for the future and their economic consequences based on sound mathematical foundations. The book focuses on fundamental uncertainty called Knightian uncertainty, where the probability distribution governing uncertainty is unknown, and it provides the reader with methods to formulate how pessimism and optimism act in an economy in a strict and unified way. After presenting decision-theoretic foundations for prudent behaviors under Knightian uncertainty, the book applies these ideas to economic models that include portfolio inertia, indeterminacy of equilibria in the Arrow-Debreu economy and in a stochastic overlapping-generations economy, learning, dynamic asset-pricing models, search, real options, and liquidity preferences. The book then proceeds to characterizations of pessimistic (ε-contaminated) and optimistic (ε-exuberant) behaviors under Knightian uncertainty and people’s inherent pessimism (surprise aversion) and optimism (surprise loving). Those characterizations are shown to be useful in understanding several observed behaviors in the global financial crisis and in its aftermath. The book is highly recommended not only to researchers who wish to understand the mechanism of how pessimism and optimism affect economic phenomena, but also to policy makers contemplating effective economic policies whose success delicately hinges upon people’s mindsets in the market. Kiyohiko Nishimura is Professor at the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS) and Professor Emeritus and Distinguished Project Research Fellow of the Center for Advanced Research in Finance at The University of Tokyo. Hiroyuki Ozaki is Professor of Economics at Keio University.
Download or read book The Handy Psychology Answer Book written by Lisa J. Cohen and published by Visible Ink Press. This book was released on 2016-02-22 with total page 558 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Bridges the gap between today's entertainment-focused “pop psychology” on television and the dry academic research that is published in journals. A primer on human behavior and psychology. The Handy Psychology Answer Book helps answer why humans do what we do through accurate scientific data presented in a lively, accessible, and engaging way. It covers the fundamentals and explains the psychology behind how people deal with money, sex, morality, family, children, aging, addiction, work, and other everyday issues. It takes a journey through the history and science of psychology and showing how psychology affects us all. Fully revised to reflect the latest scientific research—such as the current DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, published by the American Psychiatric Association); the latest neurobiological theories; and the changing face of marriage—this timely reference has expanded to include information sections on the biology and evolution of emotions; technology and adolescence; bisexuality; optimism; autism; as well as a full section on the law, eyewitness testimony and police shootings. Featuring more than 1,500 answers to questions concerning how the human mind and the science of psychology really work, this fascinating guide delivers the real facts of modern psychology, along with fun factoids and thought-provoking insights into what motivates human behavior. This intriguing exploration provides insights into the current science of the mind by answering questions such as: How have other cultures addressed psychological issues? Why was Freud so focused on sex? How do twin studies help illuminate the role of genetics? How can I maintain a healthy brain? Why do some people hear voices that aren’t really there? Why do children see monsters in the closet at night? How have recent changes in technology affected adolescent development? Why does time seem to speed up as we age? Is it normal to argue during marriage? Does religion make people happier? How do we reduce social prejudice? How has morality changed over the course of history? What are the personality traits of people who succeed in their professions? Why do so many politicians get trapped in scandals? Does genetics play a role in voting behavior? Which therapies are best for which kinds of problems? How might the stress of police work affect decision-making in high stress situations? The Handy Psychology Answer Book also includes a helpful glossary of terms, complete reference sources for topics discussed, and an index. With a wide range of information suitable for everyone, this is the ideal source for anyone looking to get a better understanding of psychology. It provides clear answers on the history, basic science and latest research, and psychology behind everyday situations and at different stages in life.
Download or read book Cosmic Optimism written by Frederick William Conner and published by . This book was released on 2013-05 with total page 472 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Optimistic Workplace written by Shawn Murphy and published by AMACOM. This book was released on 2015-10-28 with total page 258 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: While you can't personally transform the corporate culture, you can influence the workplace climate and create meaningful and lasting change. Supported by the latest research, this eye-opening book argues that our best work is the product of a positive environment. When it comes to work these days, we're expected to do more with less--but is this nose-to-the-grindstone philosophy the best way to run a business? Alarmingly low employee engagement numbers indicate otherwise. So, if pushing everyone harder isn't the path to productivity, what is? Advocating a steward model of management, The Optimistic Workplace reveals how to: Explore personal and organizational purpose--and align them for astonishing results Overcome resistance and skepticism Build camaraderie and deepen loyalty Increase intrinsic motivation Help your team find meaning in their work Identify goals collaboratively and track progress Examples from companies large and small demonstrate how this people-centric focus ignites employee potential, increases innovation, and catapults the organization to new levels of performance. The Optimistic Workplace presents an array of surprisingly simple strategies as well as practical 30-, 60-, and 90-day plans designed to focus your actions and make employee optimism not just a worthy goal--but a real and measurable result.
Download or read book Leading at the Edge written by Dennis N. T. Perkins and published by AMACOM Div American Mgmt Assn. This book was released on 2012 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For the 100th anniversary of the Race to the South Pole, a fresh look at what Shackleton's legendary Antarctic adventure can teach us about true leadership. Stranded in the frozen Antarctic sea for nearly two years, Sir Ernest Shackleton and his team of 27 polar explorers endured extreme temperatures, hazardous ice, dwindling food, and complete isolation. Despite these seemingly insurmountable obstacles, the group remained cohesive, congenial, and mercifully alive-a fact that speaks not just to luck but to an unparalleled feat of leadership. Drawing on this amazing story, Leading at The Edge demonstrates the importance of a strong leader in times of adversity, uncertainty, and change. The book reveals 10 timeless leadership lessons that show readers how to: * Instill optimism while staying grounded in reality * Have the courage to step up to risks worth taking * Consistently reinforce the team message * Set a personal example * Find something to celebrate and something to laugh about * Never give up Part adventure tale, part leadership guide, the second edition features additional lessons, new case studies of the strategies in action, tools to uncover and resolve conflicts, and expanded resources. An updated epilogue compares the leadership styles of the famous polar explorers Shackleton, Amundsen, and Scott. Today's leaders have much to learn from this gripping account of survival against all odds. Leading at The Edge will help them bring order to chaos-and achieve success in the face of adversity.
Download or read book The Optimistic Manifesto written by James M. Rankin and published by eBookIt.com. This book was released on 2018 with total page 188 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Optimistic Manifesto is a life changing book that explores Optimism as a legitimate philosophy to live your life by. James Rankin has spent a quarter of a century writing and teaching on the power of this topic. You will learn the many dimensions to this philosophy including the principles, and strategies to get the most out of life. You will discover the health benefits and relationship enhancements from adopting Optimism. This book will inspire and motivate you to experience your unlimited joy that only you can generate for yourself. James has written over ten books that includes two novels.
Download or read book Making Lemonade written by Laura J. Colker and published by Redleaf Press. This book was released on 2019-08-02 with total page 235 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The benefits of an optimistic thinking style have slowly been seeping into early childhood teaching practice through research on resiliency, leadership, health, and what has been termed “grit.” Yet there remains a large vacuum in teacher education on both the importance and mechanics of teaching young children to become optimistic thinkers. Making Lemonade is the first-to-market book on the topic of learned optimism in young children and provides 15 practical, hands-on exercises and activities teachers and families can use to positively affect children. Learned optimism can equip children to be more successful learners and healthier individuals.
Download or read book Optimism Over Despair written by Noam Chomsky and published by Penguin UK. This book was released on 2017-07-27 with total page 229 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An essential overview of the problems of our world today -- and how we should prepare for tomorrow -- from the world's leading public intellectual We have two choices. We can be pessimistic, give up, and help ensure that the worst will happen. Or we can be optimistic, grasp the opportunities that surely exist, and maybe help make the world a better place. Not much of a choice. From peerless political thinker Noam Chomsky comes an exploration of rising neoliberalism, the refugee crisis in Europe, the Black Lives Matter movement, the dysfunctional US electoral system, and the prospects and challenges of building a movement for radical change. Including four up-to-the-minute interviews on the 2016 American election campaign and global resistance to Trump, this Penguin Special is a concise introduction to Chomsky's ideas and his take on the state of the world today.
Download or read book Green Planets written by Gerry Canavan and published by Wesleyan University Press. This book was released on 2014-04-15 with total page 313 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Contemporary visions of the future have been shaped by hopes and fears about the effects of human technology and global capitalism on the natural world. In an era of climate change, mass extinction, and oil shortage, such visions have become increasingly catastrophic, even apocalyptic. Exploring the close relationship between science fiction, ecology, and environmentalism, the essays in Green Planets consider how science fiction writers have been working through this crisis. Beginning with H. G. Wells and passing through major twentieth-century writers like Ursula K. Le Guin, Stanislaw Lem, and Thomas Disch to contemporary authors like Margaret Atwood, China Miéville, and Paolo Bacigalupi—as well as recent blockbuster films like Avatar and District 9—the essays in Green Planets consider the important place for science fiction in a culture that now seems to have a very uncertain future. The book includes an extended interview with Kim Stanley Robinson and an annotated list for further exploration of "ecological SF" and related works of fiction, nonfiction, films, television, comics, children's cartoons, anime, video games, music, and more. Contributors include Christina Alt, Brent Bellamy, Sabine Höhler, Adeline Johns-Putra, Melody Jue, Rob Latham, Andrew Milner, Timothy Morton, Eric C. Otto, Michael Page, Christopher Palmer, Gib Prettyman, Elzette Steenkamp, Imre Szeman.
Download or read book Human Behavior in Hazardous Situations written by Jan M T Daalmans and published by Butterworth-Heinemann. This book was released on 2012-11-07 with total page 215 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Human Behavior in Hazardous Situations introduces a new generation within safety management, fully developed with neuropsychological insights, developed in collaboration with, and put to test by, the chemical and process industries. Until now, there has been little theoretical framework on how, and especially why, people behave the way they do in hazardous situations. Human Behavior in Hazardous Situations presents new theories, based on a human behavioral approach, to offer a fresh perspective on safety management. By way of case studies, practical tips and exercises, Dr Jan Daalmans demonstrates how this neuropsychological approach can be applied for those safety managers working in the Chemical, Process and Pharmaceutical industries. Presents new brain-based approaches to safety, with a historical perspective on the evolution of the safety management. Practical tips and guidance for those working in the chemical and process industries. Including exercises and case studies to demonstrate the practical application of techniques.
Download or read book Grokking Deep Reinforcement Learning written by Miguel Morales and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2020-10-15 with total page 470 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Grokking Deep Reinforcement Learning uses engaging exercises to teach you how to build deep learning systems. This book combines annotated Python code with intuitive explanations to explore DRL techniques. You’ll see how algorithms function and learn to develop your own DRL agents using evaluative feedback. Summary We all learn through trial and error. We avoid the things that cause us to experience pain and failure. We embrace and build on the things that give us reward and success. This common pattern is the foundation of deep reinforcement learning: building machine learning systems that explore and learn based on the responses of the environment. Grokking Deep Reinforcement Learning introduces this powerful machine learning approach, using examples, illustrations, exercises, and crystal-clear teaching. You'll love the perfectly paced teaching and the clever, engaging writing style as you dig into this awesome exploration of reinforcement learning fundamentals, effective deep learning techniques, and practical applications in this emerging field. Purchase of the print book includes a free eBook in PDF, Kindle, and ePub formats from Manning Publications. About the technology We learn by interacting with our environment, and the rewards or punishments we experience guide our future behavior. Deep reinforcement learning brings that same natural process to artificial intelligence, analyzing results to uncover the most efficient ways forward. DRL agents can improve marketing campaigns, predict stock performance, and beat grand masters in Go and chess. About the book Grokking Deep Reinforcement Learning uses engaging exercises to teach you how to build deep learning systems. This book combines annotated Python code with intuitive explanations to explore DRL techniques. You’ll see how algorithms function and learn to develop your own DRL agents using evaluative feedback. What's inside An introduction to reinforcement learning DRL agents with human-like behaviors Applying DRL to complex situations About the reader For developers with basic deep learning experience. About the author Miguel Morales works on reinforcement learning at Lockheed Martin and is an instructor for the Georgia Institute of Technology’s Reinforcement Learning and Decision Making course. Table of Contents 1 Introduction to deep reinforcement learning 2 Mathematical foundations of reinforcement learning 3 Balancing immediate and long-term goals 4 Balancing the gathering and use of information 5 Evaluating agents’ behaviors 6 Improving agents’ behaviors 7 Achieving goals more effectively and efficiently 8 Introduction to value-based deep reinforcement learning 9 More stable value-based methods 10 Sample-efficient value-based methods 11 Policy-gradient and actor-critic methods 12 Advanced actor-critic methods 13 Toward artificial general intelligence
