Year: 2007

[U.S.] Jaakko Hintikka: “Wittgenstein”

Philosophy & Thought2007.02.11
[U.S.] Jaakko Hintikka: “Wittgenstein”
[U.S.] Jaakko Hintikka: “Wittgenstein” Xingding posted on 2007-02-11 23:25:47 [U.S.]Jaakko Hintikka: “Wittgenstein,” translated by Fang Xudong, Zhonghua Book Company, May 2002 I read this on the plane and at the airport on my way back to Shanghai. Since the book is very thin, I originally thought I could finish it during the waiting period, but in the end it took much longer than expected to read it (these past few days I had been reading only light stuff, and this one at last has some connection with philosophy). As a result, I nearly missed boarding… Since I still have not begun an in-depth reading of Wittgenstein’s original works, for the…
philosophy book reading notes phenomenology
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2007年2月11日
On CCTV Airing a Paranormal Video

Life & Notes2007.02.08
On CCTV Airing a Paranormal Video
About CCTV Broadcasting Paranormal Videos I happened to see a QQ News item, http://news.qq.com/a/20070208/000611.htm To say whether what CCTV is promoting is “pseudoscience” is hard to say, but one thing can be certain: it is not promoting science, and even less the spirit of science. I already mentioned the badness of CCTV’s “Exploration·Discovery” program in an earlier article, The Zodiac, Easter Island, and the Predicament of Popular Science. I have always recommended: if you want to know more about science, it is best to watch less television. Whether it is “Exploration·Discovery” or “Discovery,” the contribution to the public understanding of science is probably extremely negative. I am less and less…
everyday life science scientific spirit experts
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2007年2月8日
[Eng] John Hick: Philosophy of Religion

Philosophy & Thought2007.02.02
[Eng] John Hick: Philosophy of Religion
[Eng.] John Hick: “Philosophy of Religion” Xingding 发表于 2007-02-02 10:49:07 [Eng.] John Hick: Philosophy of Religion, translated by He Guanghu, proofread by Gao Shining, Sanlian Bookstore, January 1988 This book is probably the first translated work on philosophy of religion published in mainland China. In fact, even up to now, there are still very few fairly good overview or introductory books on philosophy of religion on the market. The original works one can mention include Xie Fuya (1998), Shan Chun (2003), as well as the one in the recently published translation series of classic foreign philosophy textbooks from the Renmin University Press. Compared with them, Hick’s book, as an introductory…
philosophy book reading notes religion
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2007年2月2日
Jiang Xiaoyuan: “Sex Appeal—A Cultural Interpretation”

Culture & Public Commentary2007.01.31
Jiang Xiaoyuan: “Sex Appeal—A Cultural Interpretation”
Jiang Xiaoyuan: “Sexiness—A Cultural Interpretation” Xingding posted on 2007-01-31 20:05:58 Jiang Xiaoyuan: “Sexiness—A Cultural Interpretation,” Hainan Publishing House, July 2003 This book, just as Teacher Jiang says in the preface, is a “fun” book. Perhaps it also counts as a “sexy” book. Of course, it is somewhat unsuitable for children—at least R-rated, I’d say. I don’t often read this sort of thing, but I certainly don’t reject it; a fun book is a fun book. And online, I actually found the complete electronic edition: http://lz.book.sohu.com/learning/serialize.php?id=1370 Among the “group” of scientific and cultural figures whom I deeply admire, Teacher Jiang is probably the “big boss.” He was the first doctor of…
book reading notes history of science human nature
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2007年1月31日
[French] R. Shep et al. (interview): “The Empire of Technology”

Culture & Public Commentary2007.01.30
[French] R. Shep et al. (interview): “The Empire of Technology”
[French] R. Shepu and others (interview): “The Empire of Technology” Xingding posted on 2007-01-30 16:26:52 [French] R. Shepu and others (interview): “The Empire of Technology,” translated by Liu Li, SDX Joint Publishing Company, (how come they didn’t print the month and year of publication!?) It feels rather average. The last interview has a bit to it. January 30, 2007, 16:22 Read 198 times Comments Personal homepage Toss a note Folder: Reading—Buying Books
book reading notes history of technology instrument
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2007年1月30日
[Dutch] R. Hooykaas: “Religion and the Rise of Modern Science”

History of Science & Scholarship2007.01.29
[Dutch] R. Hooykaas: “Religion and the Rise of Modern Science”
[Dutch] R. Hooykaas: *Religion and the Rise of Modern Science*, translated by Qiu Zhonghui, Qian Futing, and Xu Liemin; edited by Qiu Zhonghui, Sichuan People’s Publishing House, 2nd edition, June 1999 I read this a long time ago, and have just read it again. This book mainly starts from religion, rather than, like Brooke’s *Science and Religion*, placing more emphasis on the history of science. Lately I’ve been reading some very thick books that are impossible to finish in a single day, so I’m just reading these little books on the side to make up the numbers; I won’t write many notes. January 29, 2007, 3:12 p.m.
book reading notes history of science religion
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2007年1月29日
[Japan] Naoki Komuro: “For Those Who Dislike Mathematics—An Engaging Reader That Reveals the Mysteries of Mathematics”

History of Science & Scholarship2007.01.28
[Japan] Naoki Komuro: “For Those Who Dislike Mathematics—An Engaging Reader That Reveals the Mysteries of Mathematics”
[Japanese] Komuro Naoki: “For People Who Hate Mathematics—A Fun Reader Revealing the Mysteries of Mathematics,” translated by Li Yuzhao, Harbin Publishing House, 2nd edition, September 2006 To put it bluntly: a lousy book! More precisely, this is the worst popular mathematics reader I have seen so far! I had never imagined that a popular mathematics book could be written so poorly. This book may perhaps let readers know the “importance” of mathematics, and may perhaps even help some readers come to like mathematics. But this introduction to the book is an insult to mathematics! The issue of the language of God, and the place of the “being” problem in the…
book reading culture notes mathematics
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2007年1月28日
[EN] Frank Furedi: “Where Have All the Intellectuals Gone?” —☆

Culture & Public Commentary2007.01.28
[EN] Frank Furedi: “Where Have All the Intellectuals Gone?” —☆
[English] Frank Furedi: Where Have All the Intellectuals Gone? Translated by Dai Congrong, Jiangsu People’s Publishing House, September 2005 Page 1 A number of unforeseen circumstances prompted me to write this book. In May 2001, I wrote an article for the Sunday Times titled “What Are Universities For Nowadays?” in which I aired some of my concerns about the direction in which British universities were developing. The article focused on the relative lack of academic stimulation and challenge on today’s campuses. I recounted some of the stories students had told me about how deeply bored they were with their university careers; I pointed out that all too often students could…
book reading culture notes truth
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2007年1月28日
[U.S.] Stephen J. Pyne: “A Brief History of Fire”

History of Science & Scholarship2007.01.27
[U.S.] Stephen J. Pyne: “A Brief History of Fire”
[Mei] Stephen J. Pyne: A Brief History of Fire, translated by Mei Xueqin, Niu Ruihua, Jia Jun, et al., reviewed and edited by Chen Rongxia, Sanlian Bookstore, April 2006 This is a distinctive work of environmental history. Taking “fire” as its theme, the author narrates the history of interactions among fire, nature, and human beings. This book prompts people to rethink the relationship between ecology and humanity. How should human beings treat the environment in order to be “natural”? Whether in the eyes of technocrats or environmentalists, allowing a great fire to rage unchecked through forests and wilderness is by no means a good thing. To the former, it is…
book reading culture technology notes
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2007年1月27日
[English] John Barrow: “Art and the Universe”

History of Science & Scholarship2007.01.27
[English] John Barrow: “Art and the Universe”
[English] John Barrow: *Art and the Universe*, translated by Shu Yunxiang, Shanghai Scientific & Technical Publishers, October 2001 I had read half of this book earlier, and today I finished the other half as well. Barrow’s range is quite broad; the subjects covered in this book include astronomy, geography, mathematics, physics, history, culture, religion, language, fine arts, music, and so on, so it is hard to give a concise overview. On the Peking University website for the history and philosophy of science, there is an introduction: http://hps.phil.pku.edu.cn/viewarticle.php?sid=666 But even there, it seems, the book’s distinctive qualities are not really pointed out. In fact, cosmology is by no means the theme…
book reading culture notes history of science
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2007年1月27日