Videnskabens og teknologiens påvirkning af samfundet

Offers a unified vision for approaching human ethical responses to what science is telling us about the crises facing our environment and climate.

"Religion is not a primitive thing that science is in the process of defeating. Science is neither the only form of knowledge nor a plot by Satan; it's a tool of human knowledge that enables us to understand the physical workings of the world." This is how Joseph Hinman describes in a nutshell the philosophical "war" between religion and science. Both of these things would be better referred to in the plural: "the sciences" and "religions," because neither is a monolith, but rather a group of disciplines on the one hand, and a set of approaches to the big questions about the human condition, on the other. But we have a tendency to refer to them both in the singular, as two ways of viewing reality that are in conflict. Which of them gets to be the "umpire of reality"? In this era, when a strident religious ideology cries out for political power and a return to a nostalgic time of dominance, the claims of what is called "new atheism"- that religion is a destructive force that needs to be overcome by the pure rationality of science- can seem persuasive. But is new atheism actually scientific? Or does it also reflect an ideology, in its insistence that scientific findings allow no place for personal, metaphysical faith? Hinman approaches this debate from the perspective of a faith that is neither strident nor domineering, but that seeks to defend religion against atheistic attacks that use "science" as a reductionistic tool of anti-religious ideology. Addressing such topics as the historical development of science, the nature of religious experience, the influence of underlying assumptions on human perception, and the sort of evidence that supports belief in God, Hinman (also author of The Trace of God: a Rational Warrant for Belief), requests that we set aside ideology in pursuit of what science and religion, each in its own sphere, can bring to enrich our lives. Joseph Hinman's fresh, innovative and comprehensive contribution to the ongoing scientific-religious debate assures the reader that we really don't need to choose between science and belief.

Rising prosperity was supposed to bring democracy to China, yet the Communist Party's political monopoly endures. How? Minxin Pei looks to the surveillance state. Though renowned for high-tech repression, China's surveillance system is above all a labor-intensive project. Pei delves into the human sources of coercion at the foundation of CCP power.

From the top podcast creator and author of bestselling The Story Behind comes the sequel that shares the extraordinary history of an ordinary year.

"The best-selling author of The God Equation turns his attention to humanity's next great technological advancement--quantum computing, which could change every aspect of our daily lives by solving some of our greatest challenges, from climate change to world hunger to incurable diseases"--

A groundbreaking exploration of the science of longevity from Nobel Prize-winning molecular biologist Venki Ramakrishnan 'Enthralling and packed with insights.' - BILL BRYSON'A must-read.' - STEPHEN FRY'Spectacular. Changed my perspective on the whole living world but most of all myself.' - CHRIS VAN TULLEKEN__________________How can science help us live better and longer? We are living through an exciting revolution in biology. Giant strides are being made in our understanding of why we age, and why some species live longer than others. Will we soon be able to cheat disease and death and live for a very long time, possibly many times our current lifespan?In Why We Die, Ramakrishnan takes us on a riveting journey to the frontiers of biology. He explains the latest scientific understanding of exactly why we age and how we might prevent it. He examines the cutting-edge efforts to extend lifespan by altering our natural biology and raises profound questions. Might death serve a necessary biological purpose? As science advances, what will it mean for us all if people start living longer? And how can we increase our chances of living long, healthy and fulfilled lives?Why We Die is a narrative of uncommon insight and beauty from one of our leading public intellectuals.'An incredible journey.' - SIDDHARTHA MUKHERJEE'Joyfully alive' - STEVE BRUSATTE'Scientists do not come much more eminent than Venki Ramakrishnan... wonderfully readable... fascinating.' FINANCIAL TIMES*As heard on BBC Radio 4 Start the Week*

Since their invention, computers have kept revolutionizing the world at a staggering pace. And yet, if on one side this ongoing revolution keepsproviding an incessant stream of novel and previously unimaginabletechnologies, on the other, as with all revolutions, its profoundeffects threaten to upend much of the previous world order. Facing themany questions that this change is urgently raising will require toacquire a novel and interdisciplinary understanding of the powerfulforces that govern this process. Sitting squarely at the crossroads ofcomputer science, history, socioeconomics, ethics, and philosophy, andwritten by an insider who contributed foundational work to many of thelatest and most pervasive technologies this book offers a much-neededreframing of the past, present and future of computing, that goes farbeyond the typical chronological record of events and arms us with auniquely broad and integrated analysis of their complex origins andtheir numerous side effects.

"A warm, personal guide to building a strong ethical and moral compass in the midst of today's confusing, scary, global problems. The moral challenges of today are unfamiliar in the history of philosophy. Climate change is the paradigm example of what Travis Rieder calls "The Puzzle" in the way your choices can seem at odds with what the planet urgently needs. How do we decide the right thing to do in the face of a massive collective challenge? Should you drink water from a plastic bottle or not? Drive a Tesla? Or is that just what Elon and all the other corporations want you to think? What makes individual ethics difficult to think about in the case of catastrophic climate change makes ethics difficult to think about in many other contexts as well. The Puzzle, as he explains, is everywhere now. The chapters include a lively, meaningful tour of traditional moral reasoning looking at the contributions of Plato, Hegel, and Kant among others. But they could not grasp The Puzzle we now face. Old fashioned exercises like trolley problems involving sacrificing one person on this track for a bunch of people on the other don't address the huge consequential and complex crises our global community faces today. The tools most of us unthinkingly rely on when we try to do the right thing don't help when it comes to reasoning about individual responsibility for large collective problems. Expanding our suite of ethical concepts is now urgently required. Rieder defines exactly how to change our thinking, addressing mundane issues like bottled water to the biggies like whether to have children. This is a way to live a morally decent life in the scary, always complicated world we and our children live in. It's how to build your own Catastrophe Ethics"--