Making Sense of Life


Book Description

What do biologists want? How will we know when we have 'made sense' of life? Explanations in the biological sciences are provisional and partial, judged by criteria as heterogenous as their subject matter. This text accounts for this diversity.




Can Science Make Sense of Life?


Book Description

Since the discovery of the structure of DNA and the birth of the genetic age, a powerful vocabulary has emerged to express science’s growing command over the matter of life. Armed with knowledge of the code that governs all living things, biology and biotechnology are poised to edit, even rewrite, the texts of life to correct nature’s mistakes. Yet, how far should the capacity to manipulate what life is at the molecular level authorize science to define what life is for? This book looks at flash points in law, politics, ethics, and culture to argue that science’s promises of perfectibility have gone too far. Science may have editorial control over the material elements of life, but it does not supersede the languages of sense-making that have helped define human values across millennia: the meanings of autonomy, integrity, and privacy; the bonds of kinship, family, and society; and the place of humans in nature.




How to Make Sense of Any Mess


Book Description

Everything is getting more complex. It is easy to be overwhelmed by the amount of information we encounter each day. Whether at work, at school, or in our personal endeavors, there's a deepening (and inescapable) need for people to work with and understand information. Information architecture is the way that we arrange the parts of something to make it understandable as a whole. When we make things for others to use, the architecture of information that we choose greatly affects our ability to deliver our intended message to our users.We all face messes made of information and people. This book defines the word "mess" the same way that most dictionaries do: "A situation where the interactions between people and information are confusing or full of difficulties." - Who doesn't bump up against messes made of information and people every day? How to Make Sense of Any Mess provides a seven step process for making sense of any mess. Each chapter contains a set of lessons as well as workbook exercises architected to help you to work through your own mess.




Making Sense of God


Book Description

We live in an age of skepticism. Our society places such faith in empirical reason, historical progress, and heartfelt emotion that it’s easy to wonder: Why should anyone believe in Christianity? What role can faith and religion play in our modern lives? In this thoughtful and inspiring new book, pastor and New York Times bestselling author Timothy Keller invites skeptics to consider that Christianity is more relevant now than ever. As human beings, we cannot live without meaning, satisfaction, freedom, identity, justice, and hope. Christianity provides us with unsurpassed resources to meet these needs. Written for both the ardent believer and the skeptic, Making Sense of God shines a light on the profound value and importance of Christianity in our lives.




Making Sense of Your Life


Book Description

Life's changes can be overwhelming. One day, you're conquering the world, and then it hits: Loss of friends. Betrayal. Unexpected delays. Trouble with kids. Marital tension. Ministry needs. Unemployment. Caring for aging loved ones.How do you reconnect the dots and make sense of your life? Anita Carman, founder and president of the ministry Inspire Women, opens the Book of John and studies the disciple Jesus loved, the man who never stopped serving. In Making Sense of Your Life, she uncovers seven principles that will help you tie your own broken dreams and unexpected changes back to the person and purpose of an eternal God. Each principle comes with a week-long devotional for self-reflection or small group study.




Evolution


Book Description

"Science writer Carl Zimmer and evolutionary biologist Douglas Emlen have produced a thoroughly revised new edition of their widely praised evolution textbook. Emlen, an award-winning evolutionary biologist at the University of Montana, has infused Evolution: Making Sense of Life with the technical rigor and conceptual depth that today’s biology majors require. Zimmer, an award-winning New York Times columnist, brings compelling storytelling to the book, bringing evolutionary research to life. Students will learn the fundamental concepts of evolutionary theory, such as natural selection, genetic drift, phylogeny, and coevolution. The book also drives home the relevance of evolution for disciplines ranging from conservation biology to medicine. With riveting stories about evolutionary biologists at work everywhere from the Arctic to tropical rainforests to hospital wards, the book is a reading adventure designed to grab the imagination of students, showing them exactly why it is that evolution makes such brilliant sense of life."--




The On-Purpose Person


Book Description

Is Your Life Filled, Yet Unfulfilled? Do you feel pulled in a thousand different directions? Are your days so busy you hardly have time to think? Are you living up to other people's expectations while your own plans and dreams go unmet? In "The On-Purpose Person" you'll learn how to discover who you are, where you are headed, what you should do, and what's most important to you! That's being on-purpose! Tap Into Your Highest Potential With The On-Purpose Person Nothing adds more fullness and meaning to your life than discovering your purpose and living it out every moment of your life. With "The On-Purpose Person," you'll be on your way to greater order and clarity within 30 minutes of picking up the book. This entertaining story format provides clear principles that are easy to apply to everyday life. You'll put them into practice immediately. Regardless of whether you're in your teens or well into retirement, being on-purpose will inspire and guide you to live true to yourself. "Goals are consumable. Purpose is permanent," states Kevin W. McCarthy. "The On-Purpose Person" moves you beyond the surface of life to what matters most so you can make a difference. You'll have a simple, yet powerful system to: Invest your time, talent, and treasure in what is most important Exchange burnout for being integrated Learn why a balanced life is a myth Feel satisfied rather than stressed out at the end of the day Find meaningful time for yourself Align your innate passion and gifting in the right direction Trade discontent and frustration for a growing and enduring joy Make confident, more improved decisions more consistently Manage hurdles and setbacks positively Face opposition from an unassailable position of strength Define your standards for success that are just right for you Gain a vivid understanding of yourself Explore your possibilities equipped to succeed




The Consolations of Mortality


Book Description

For those who don’t believe in an afterlife, the wisdom of the ages offers four great consolations for mortality: that death is benign and good; that mortal life provides its own kind of immortality; that true immortality would be awful; and that we experience the kinds of losses in life that we will eventually face in death. Can any of these consolations honestly reconcile us to our inevitable demise? In this timely book, Andrew Stark tests the psychological truth of these consolations and searches our collective literary, philosophical, and cultural traditions for answers to the question of how we, in the twenty-first century, might accept our mortal condition. Ranging from Epicurus and Heidegger to bucket lists, the flaming out of rock stars, and the retiring of sports jerseys, Stark’s poignant and learned exploration shows how these consolations, taken together, reveal death as a blessing no matter how much we may love life.




Making Sense Out of Suffering


Book Description

Peter Kreeft observes that our world is full of billions of normal lives which have touched by apparently pointless and random suffering. He then records the results of his own wrestling match with God as he struggles to make sense out of this pain.




Making Sense of Everyday Life


Book Description

This accessible, introductory text explains the importance of studying 'everyday life' in the social sciences. Susie Scott examines such varied topics as leisure, eating and drinking, the idea of home, and time and schedules in order to show how societies are created and reproduced by the apparently mundane 'micro' level practices of everyday life. Each chapter is organized around three main themes: 'rituals and routines', 'social order', and 'challenging the taken-for-granted', with intriguing examples and illustrations. Theoretical approaches from ethnomethodology, Symbolic Interactionism and social psychology are introduced and applied to real-life situations, and there is clear emphasis on empirical research findings throughout. Social order depends on individuals following norms and rules which are so familiar as to appear natural; yet, as Scott encourages the reader to discover, these are always open to question and investigation. This user-friendly book will appeal to undergraduate students across the social sciences, including the sociology of everyday life, the sociology of emotions, social psychology and cultural studies, and will reveal the fascinating significance our everyday habits hold.