Showing results by author "David Christopher" in All Categories

August Weismann is regarded by many biologists, including Ernst Mayr from Harvard University, to be second only to Charles Darwin for progressing our understanding of evolution by natural selection. In this book, excerpted from the larger commemorative tome Darwin and Modern Science, edited by A. C. Seward and others, Weismann tackles many of the difficult questions confronting natural selection. In the process, Weismann offers a penetrating critique of Lamarck and provides the listener with rich and robust understanding of evolutionary theory.

I recently came upon an old book entitled Famous Men in Science by Sarah Knowles Bolton that was first published in 1889. In her enjoyable and easy to read text, Bolton provides a glimpse of 14 distinguished thinkers, ranging from such luminaries as Carl Linnaeus to Louis Agassiz. Since the book is not readily available, here at the MSAC Philosophy Group we thought it might be helpful to select four biographies from Famous Men in Science and republish them in a new and readable format.

In the Fall of 1991 students enrolled in Introduction to Philosophy classes at Mount San Antonio College conducted interviews with some of the most prominent philosophers in California. Ten questions were asked of each philosopher, including queries about the existence of God, life after death, and the interface between human and artificial intelligence. The interviews ranged from personal one on one conversations, to telephone interviews, to mailed written responses.

This is a new edition of selected stories from Arabian Nights as chosen by Kate Douglas Wiggin and Nora A. Smith. Includes the following fantastic tales: "The Talking Bird, the Singing Tree, and the Golden Water"; "The Story of the Fisherman and the Genie"; "The History of the Young King of the Black Isles"; "The Story of Gulnare of the Sea"; "The Story of Aladdin; or, the Wonderful Lamp"; "The Story of Prince Agib"; "The Story of the City of Brass"; "The Story of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves"; "The History of Codadad and His Brothers"; and "The Story of Sinbad the Voyager".

According to Steven Pinker in his new book, Enlightenment Now, the best time is precisely now. The only thing holding us back is waking up to it. Lest we forget, we are the lucky 8 billion who have been favored to be born human. We are, in sum, winners in the Darwinian lottery of life. This audiobook provides an illustrated glimpse into Pinker's idea that things have gotten better on planet Earth. Also provides new insights into a concept called "The Meta-Person Project".

Lord Dunsany was Edward Plunkett's pen name, and he was a very successful author of numerous books, plays, and short stories. He possessed a remarkable imagination and created fantastical landscapes peopled with unique characters. To listen to his short stories is to be transported to another time and to another place and, in the midst of it all, to be enthralled by the marvel of it all.

According to Littlewood's Law of Miracles (based on the theory of large numbers and probability), you should expect something truly unusual to happen every 35 days - so strange, in fact, that it will look like a miracle. This book explains how the improbable is probable by focusing on desultory decussation (where two random events from an interesting intersection - a synchronicity) and Littlewood's work in number theory at Cambridge University in the last century. Also explains such concepts as apohenia and patternicity.

This audiobook contains two interviews of Baba Faqir Chand, the great sage of the Punjab, which were originally published in India in 1978. They were conducted by Professor Mark Juergensmeyer and his research assistant at that time, David Lane. Also included is a new interview with Professor Bhagat Ram Kamal, who is now the spiritual leader at Faqir Chand's ashram, Manavta Mandir. This audiobook provides an insight into Faqir's radical philosophy on spirituality.

This book provides a critical overview of such subjects as mysticism, speaking in tongues, John-Roger Hinkins and MSIA, Sathya Sai Baba, astrology, near-death experiences, and UFOs. Previously published under the title The Mystical.

This audiobook explores the ancient Indian concept of Maya. Utilizing the latest research in neuroscience and physics, this work explains why Maya (or the notion of illusion) is an important concept and better understood today in light of science, even though ancient rishis had glimpsed its importance thousands of years ago.

There is no doubt in my mind that Faqir Chand is one of the most important shabd yoga masters in history and that his frank confessions of “unknowingness” are of vital importance for those interested in religion and spiritual masters. Faqir reveals what other gurus will not. Here in the MSAC Philosophy Group at Mt. San Antonio College, it is our wish to republish almost all of Faqir Chand's books and pamphlets in English and give them a wider audience.

This audiobook contains distinct essays on Darwinian epistemology, the future of shabd yoga, Ken Wilber's Atman Project, Clarence Darrow's agnostic philosophy, and the debate between Richard Feynman and John Lilly over the reality/non-reality of out-of-body experiences. Excerpt from one of the chapters: I think it is important to distinguish methodological naturalism from a philosophically absolutist position, since trying to ground all things down to the empirical realm and testable realm is a practical process and doesn't necessarily mean that nothing else exists beyond what we can scientifically discern.

Beginning with two autobiographical essays about Professor David Lane's book addiction and his 40-plus years of exposing cults, this volume includes critical essays on Andrew Cohen, a spiritual teacher who was forced to resign only to repackage himself several years later; the new age philosopher, Ken Wilber, and his "integral" theory; a skeptical analysis behind why Donald Trump was elected; the future of books in light of virtual reality headsets such as Oculus Rift; and insights on the religious visions of Sri Ramakrishna and the role of guru "transparency".

This book is meant to explain the differences between network marketers and entrepreneurs.

This little book focuses on two famous spiritual leaders: Adi Da and Paul Twitchell and how devotees of each try to defend their actions. The author then presents a counter-critique to their respective defenses. Also included is a brief essay on Ken Wilber's transcendental sociology, as well as a spirited defense of a neuroscientific approach to understanding consciousness.

The first part of this work includes four original essays by Professor David Christopher Lane on the Darwin-Wallace debate, focusing on the contentious issue of whether or not natural selection can explain the human mind or soul. In part two we have included the two original essays by Darwin and Wallace in 1858 concerning their discovery of evolution by natural selection as presented to the Linnean Society in London, England.

Perhaps the study of consciousness has an inherent limitation, similar in import to Heisenberg's uncertainty principle in quantum mechanics or Gödel’s incompleteness theorem in mathematics. Perhaps we are like seasoned travelers on a Mobius strip in quest of the “other” side of the band who after long and arduous circular travels come to realize that no matter what route we take we will always only be touching the same surface.

Heretical Thinking has five distinct chapters, raising critical questions concerning how to properly study mysticism, the radical (and forgotten) message buried within the life and death narrative within the Four Gospels concerning what early Christianity really taught, the differences between Eastern and Western religions via certain mythological icons, why karma theory may be nonsensical, and finally exploring the connection between mysticism and quantum theory.

This book touches upon a number of cutting edge issues in science, including artificial intelligence and its impact on humankind, Darwin's moral sense and its implications, and how to think critically in an age of paranormal beliefs.

The moral imperative behind vegetarianism is precisely this: to imagine the pain of an animal and then to ask yourself one straightforward question: Do I need to kill it in order to live? And, if you do not need to eat animals to live a good life, then ask yourself the following, and perhaps more pertinent, questions: Is slaughtering a cow, beheading a chicken, or hooking a fish necessary? Is my palate the driving force behind my ethical values?