Download or read book What It All Means written by Philippe Schlenker and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 2022-11-22 with total page 488 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How meaning works—from monkey calls to human language, from spoken language to sign language, from gestures to music—and how meaning is connected to truth. We communicate through language, connecting what we mean to the words we say. But humans convey meaning in other ways as well, with facial expressions, hand gestures, and other methods. Animals, too, can get their meanings across without words. In What It All Means, linguist Philippe Schlenker explains how meaning works, from monkey calls to human language, from spoken language to sign language, from gestures to music. He shows that these extraordinarily diverse types of meaning can be studied and compared within a unified approach—one in which the notion of truth plays a central role. “It’s just semantics” is often said dismissively. But Schlenker shows that semantics—the study of meaning—is an unsung success of modern linguistics, a way to investigate some of the deepest questions about human nature using tools from the empirical and formal sciences. Drawing on fifty years of research in formal semantics, Schlenker traces how meaning comes to life. After investigating meaning in primate communication, he explores how human meanings are built, using in some cases sign languages as a guide to the workings of our inner “logic machine.” Schlenker explores how these meanings can be enriched by iconicity in sign language and by gestures in spoken language, and then turns to more abstract forms of iconicity to understand the meaning of music. He concludes by examining paradoxes, which—being neither true nor false—test the very limits of meaning.

Download or read book What Does It All Mean written by Thomas Nagel and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 1987-10-15 with total page 108 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this cogent and accessible introduction to philosophy, the distinguished author of Mortal Questions and The View From Nowhere sets forth the central problems of philosophical inquiry for the beginning student. Arguing that the best way to learn about philosophy is to think about its questions directly, Thomas Nagel considers possible solutions to nine problems--knowledge of the world beyond our minds, knowledge of other minds, the mind-body problem, free will, the basis of morality, right and wrong, the nature of death, the meaning of life, and the meaning of words. Although he states his own opinions clearly, Nagel leaves these fundamental questions open, allowing students to entertain other solutions and encouraging them to think for themselves.

Download or read book The Meaning of It All written by Richard P. Feynman and published by Basic Books. This book was released on 2009-04-29 with total page 79 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Many appreciate Richard P. Feynman's contributions to twentieth-century physics, but few realize how engaged he was with the world around him -- how deeply and thoughtfully he considered the religious, political, and social issues of his day. Now, a wonderful book -- based on a previously unpublished, three-part public lecture he gave at the University of Washington in 1963 -- shows us this other side of Feynman, as he expounds on the inherent conflict between science and religion, people's distrust of politicians, and our universal fascination with flying saucers, faith healing, and mental telepathy. Here we see Feynman in top form: nearly bursting into a Navajo war chant, then pressing for an overhaul of the English language (if you want to know why Johnny can't read, just look at the spelling of "friend"); and, finally, ruminating on the death of his first wife from tuberculosis. This is quintessential Feynman -- reflective, amusing, and ever enlightening.

Download or read book What Does It All Mean written by William A. Adams and published by Andrews UK Limited. This book was released on 2013-09-11 with total page 293 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As a young man Bill Adams travelled the world teaching US citizens abroad on behalf of a large state university on the East Coast. Back home he reflected that if there were answers to the great questions of life, then he'd not found them - not in India, in Europe, in China, or Japan. In time he came to see that his lifelong interest in how the mind works could be the clue to the meaning of life. Socrates had been right all along: Know thyself. Adams now sets out a new reasoned argument, based on his experience as a cognitive psychologist and as a human being, to show why Socrates was right: the purpose of life is to recognize ourselves - in each other and in all things. The mind is looking for itself: that is how it works, that is what it does for a living.

Download or read book What Does It All Mean written by Thomas Nagel and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 1987-10-15 with total page 109 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this cogent and accessible introduction to philosophy, the distinguished author of Mortal Questions and The View From Nowhere sets forth the central problems of philosophical inquiry for the beginning student. Arguing that the best way to learn about philosophy is to think about its questions directly, Thomas Nagel considers possible solutions to nine problems--knowledge of the world beyond our minds, knowledge of other minds, the mind-body problem, free will, the basis of morality, right and wrong, the nature of death, the meaning of life, and the meaning of words. Although he states his own opinions clearly, Nagel leaves these fundamental questions open, allowing students to entertain other solutions and encouraging them to think for themselves.

Download or read book What Does It All Mean written by Richard Leonard and published by Paulist Press. This book was released on 2017 with total page 248 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book What s it All Mean written by Joann Moser and published by University of California Press. This book was released on 2009 with total page 232 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This retrospective, which features 88 works from the 1960s to the present, is the first full-scale look at Wiley's long career and explores important themes and ideas expressed in his work.

Download or read book What s It All About written by Julian Baggini and published by Granta Publications. This book was released on 2013-07-11 with total page 179 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “Secular-minded readers seeking an alternative to The Purpose-Driven Life have an excellent starting point here.”—Publishers Weekly For readers who are serious about confronting the big issues in life—but are turned off by books which deal with them through religion, spirituality, or psychobabble, this is an honest, intelligent discussion by a philosopher that doesn't hide from the difficulties or make undeliverable promises. It aims to help the reader understand the overlooked issues behind the obvious questions, and shows how philosophy does not so much answer them as help provide us with the resources to answer them for ourselves. “Useful and provocative.”—The Wall Street Journal “Looking for a clear guide to what contemporary philosophy has to say about the meaning of life? Baggini takes us through all the plausible answers, weaving together Kierkegaard, John Stuart Mill, Monty Python, and Funkadelic in an entertaining but always carefully reasoned discussion.”—Peter Singer, author of How Are We To Live “The question of the meaning of life has long been a byword for pretentious rambling. It takes some nerve to tackle it in a brisk and no-nonsense fashion.”—New Statesman

Download or read book So Long and Thanks for All the Fish written by Douglas Adams and published by Del Rey. This book was released on 2008-12-30 with total page 206 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Now celebrating the 42nd anniversary of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, soon to be a Hulu original series! “A madcap adventure . . . Adams’s writing teeters on the fringe of inspired lunacy.”—United Press International Back on Earth with nothing more to show for his long, strange trip through time and space than a ratty towel and a plastic shopping bag, Arthur Dent is ready to believe that the past eight years were all just a figment of his stressed-out imagination. But a gift-wrapped fishbowl with a cryptic inscription, the mysterious disappearance of Earth’s dolphins, and the discovery of his battered copy of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy all conspire to give Arthur the sneaking suspicion that something otherworldly is indeed going on. God only knows what it all means. Fortunately, He left behind a Final Message of explanation. But since it’s light-years away from Earth, on a star surrounded by souvenir booths, finding out what it is will mean hitching a ride to the far reaches of space aboard a UFO with a giant robot. What else is new? “The most ridiculously exaggerated situation comedy known to created beings . . . Adams is irresistible.”—The Boston Globe

Download or read book Sprinkler Hydraulics written by Harold S. Wass Jr. and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2020-07-14 with total page 228 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is the foremost guide to hydraulically designing sprinkler systems for commercial and residential buildings. Sprinkler Hydraulics, Third Edition includes the latest developments in automatic sprinkler design, as well as going beyond the NFPA 13 Standard to explain everything needed to know to professionally design a system. Sprinkler Hydraulics, Third Edition explains flow phenomena to help the reader evaluate calculated sprinkler systems. Starting with a general discussion of the mathematics involved, the discussion proceeds to define sprinkler density, including several examples which explain how to determine discharge areas. • Includes the latest developments in automatic sprinkler design, as well as going beyond the NFPA 13 Standard to explain everything needed to know to professionally design a system; • Starting with a general discussion of the mathematics involved, the discussion proceeds to define sprinkler density, including several examples which explain how to determine discharge areas; • Explains flow phenomena to help the reader evaluate calculated sprinkler systems.

Download or read book What It All Means written by Salah and published by BalboaPress. This book was released on 2011-11-04 with total page 228 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What It All Means is a fresh formulation of the perennial philosophy addressed to the serious spiritual seeker in the twenty-first century. Author Salah weaves together Eastern and Western wisdom traditions, personal mystical experiences, and modern scientific discoveries to produce a portrait of the universe that is completely different from how it appears to our senses. In What It All Means, you will discover that the universe is ultimately spiritual, not material, and that it is alive, self-aware, and infinitely intelligent. More dramatically, you will see that your human life is similar to an illusion, a dream, or an image in a mirrorthat your true nature is one with the Source of the universe and is therefore eternal, formless, pure awareness, untouched by the limitations of the material world. What It All Means is a book that just may change your lifeundoubtedly for the better. Open it anywhere and read a couple of pages. You wont be disappointed.

Download or read book By All Means written by Dennis Smith and published by Xlibris Corporation. This book was released on 2016-03-30 with total page 180 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Jeffery Darnell Thomas wanted to be rich and powerful. It was his dream for as long as he could remember. Growing up in one of the toughest neighborhoods in America at the time is a test though. But his hatred of poverty, along with a strong desire to make it better for his people, is the fuel behind his passion. All he needs is that one big break. He devises a plan that could make or break everything. In the process he learns a lot about himself and life. This is a story about hard work and determination that will move your soul.

Download or read book Philosophy A Very Short Introduction written by Edward Craig and published by OUP Oxford. This book was released on 2002-02-21 with total page 144 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How ought we to live? What really exists? How do we know? This book introduces important themes in ethics, knowledge, and the self, via readings from Plato, Hume, Descartes, Hegel, Darwin, and Buddhist writers. It emphasizes throughout the point of doing philosophy, explains how different areas of philosophy are related, and explores the contexts in which philosophy was and is done. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

Download or read book All Things Shining written by Hubert Dreyfus and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2011-01-04 with total page 274 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An inspirational book that is “a smart, sweeping run through the history of Western philosophy. Important for the way it illuminates life today and for the controversial advice it offers on how to live” (The New York Times). “What constitutes human excellence?” and “What is the best way to live a life?” These are questions that human beings have been asking since the beginning of time. In their critically acclaimed book, All Things Shining, Hubert Dreyfus and Sean Dorrance Kelly argue that our search for meaning was once fulfilled by our responsiveness to forces greater than ourselves, whether one God or many. These forces drew us in and imbued the ordinary moments of life with wonder and gratitude. Dreyfus and Kelly argue in this thought-provoking work that as we began to rely on the power of our own independent will we lost our skill for encountering the sacred. Through their original and transformative discussion of some of the greatest works of Western literature, from Homer’s Odyssey to Melville’s Moby Dick, Dreyfus and Kelly reveal how we have lost our passionate engagement with the things that gave our lives purpose, and show how, by reading our culture’s classics anew, we can once again be drawn into intense involvement with the wonder and beauty of the world. Well on its way to becoming a classic itself, this inspirational book will change the way we understand our culture, our history, our sacred practices, and ourselves.

Download or read book Making Sense of It All written by Thomas V. Morris and published by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. This book was released on 1992-10-06 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Thomas V. Morris discusses life, death, religion, the nature of faith and more. This captivating book is ideal both for thoughtful unbelievers who consider Christianity unreasonable, and Christians wanting to know how to share their faith with sceptics. Writing in an engaging, conversational style, Morris takes an intriguing new look at the big questions that keep coming up -- questions about life, death, God, religion, the nature of faith, the formation of an adequate worldview, and the meaning of life. Morris explores these kinds of questions in an earnest yet thoroughly entertaining and easily readable way, relating numerous personal anecdotes, incorporating intriguing material from the films of Woody Allen and the journals of Tolstoy, and using the writings of the seventeenth-century genius Blaise Pascal as a central guide.

Download or read book By All Means Necessary written by Elizabeth Economy and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 2014-03 with total page 299 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From two leading scholars in the field, a comprehensive account of the Chinese economy's explosive growth over the past 25 years.

Download or read book By all means necessary Protecting civilians and preventing mass atrocities in Africa written by Dan Kuwali and published by PULP. This book was released on 2017-05-16 with total page 514 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: