The practice of paleontology has an aesthetic as well as an epistemic dimension. Paleontology has distinctively aesthetic aims, such as cultivating sense of place and developing a better aesthetic appreciation of fossils. Scientific cognitivists in environmental aesthetics argue that scientific knowledge deepens and enhances our appreciation of nature. Drawing on that tradition, this Element argues that knowledge of something's history makes a difference to how we engage with it aesthetica...

In the 21st century, political debates appear to center on fundamental conflicts between “the people” and “elites.” Most of these discussions emphasize strategies to protect and empower the oppressed masses against a predatory ruling class. Much of classical political thought, however, was written from an aristocratic point of view: that is, it ascribed paramount importance to the question of elite formation. Assuming inequality as a permanent feature of human associations, what virtues wo...

Chet Bright faced the prospect of death on the water many times – during World War II, Korea and Vietnam – but in the end the sea was his savior.The son of a West Texas cowboy, he ran away at seventeen to join the military after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor.Aboard a destroyer during World War II, as a frogman with the Navy's elite Underwater Demolition Teams in Korea and later as an Explosive Ordnance Disposal expert, Bright found himself anchored to life on the water. ...

Lincolnshire is England's second-largest county-and one of the least well-known. Yet its understated chronicles, unfashionable towns and undervalued countryside conceal fascinating stories, and unique landscapes: its Wolds are lonely and beautiful, its towns characterful; its marshlands and dynamic coast are metaphors of constant change. From plesiosaurs to Puritans, medieval ghosts to eighteenth-century explorers, poets to politicians, and Vikings to Brexit, this marginal county is centra...

In the wake of the paleobiological revolution of the 1970s and 1980s, paleontologists continue to investigate far-reaching questions about how evolution works. Many of those questions have a philosophical dimension. How is macroevolution related to evolutionary changes within populations? Is evolutionary history contingent? How much can we know about the causes of evolutionary trends? How do paleontologists read the patterns in the fossil record to learn about the underlying evolutionary p...

Classic story of a little orphan boy who runs away to join the circus, only to learn that his new employer is a cruel taskmaster. A story that will tug on the heartstrings of listeners of all ages as they enter the world of an old-time traveling circus.

When Carey Winfast, an all-star investigator with the Planetary Police Force is mysteriously murdered, it is up to his friends, one a career traffic cop and the other a mere secretary, to solve the mystery. With alliances uncertain, strange futuristic technology appearing everywhere, nothing is as it seems. With all odds stacked against them, they soon realize there is more to this mystery than a simple murder. Will they be able to solve this complex mystery in time to prevent the destruct...

Have you ever wondered what Dr. Seuss might have said, had he lived in these modern times? This book explores our most pressing issues through the rhyming style that Dr. Seuss made famous all those years ago. From climate change, to overpopulation, to pornography on the Internet, this book covers even the most controversial topics in a way that is fun, and insightful. Forget the kids, this is a fun book for adults about the grown-up world and societal issues we care about, and even some of...

Mind Your Own Success is a practical guidebook on how to achieve more out of your life. Following the step by step process outlined in this book, you'll be able to set up your life for both success and happiness. It will help you create the mindset for success, but more importantly show you how you can actually achieve it. It will show you how to make goal setting an easy and achievable process, instead of the traditional hit-and-miss methods that are usually taught. Containing secrets of ...