The World's Best Book Summaries
What is cultural transmission? Why is cultural transmission an important part of religion? Cultural transmission, sometimes referred to as memes, is a part of human development that explains how culture is passed down. It helps explain parts of human development, like religion. Read more about cultural transmission and how it works.
What is a black swan event? Are black swan events truly unpredictable or just highly improbable? A black swan event is an extremely rare and unpredictable event or occurrence that has major negative consequences. The concept is based on the idea that someone who has only ever seen white swans would naturally assume that all swans are white and would therefore be completely unable to predict the existence of a black swan. Keep reading to learn about the concept of a black swan event.
What is Pascal’s theory? Is it a convincing argument for a belief in God? Pascal’s theory, or Pascal’s wager, says that not believing in God has high stakes. Therefore, the only logical thing to do is to believe in God. Read more about Pascal’s theory below.
What is the ontological argument? Why is this argument flawed in proving God’s existence? The ontological argument says that since God is perfect, there can be no doubting God and his existence. Of course, this argument falls apart quickly if you don’t believe in God in the first place. Read more about the ontological argument and what it means.
What caused the Permian mass extinction? How long did it last and how many species did it eliminate? The Permian mass extinction was the most devastating of the Big Five mass extinction events in the history of life on earth, eliminating 96% of the species. Scientists attribute it to the sudden warming of the climate as a result of the increased concentration of carbon in the air. Read about the Permian mass extinction, its causes and effects on the animal kingdom.
What is the purusha meaning? How does The Bhagavad Gita explain the concept of Purusha, or the soul? Purusha’s meaning is, simply put, the soul. Krishna explains this in terms of a farmer and a field. The farmer is the physical body the farmer is connected to, and it is tempoerry. His soul, or Purusha, is permanent and is his true self. Read more about Purusha and its meaning in The Bhagavad Gita.
What are theist arguments? What are the main theist arguments, and why don’t they hold up? Theist arguments present ideas as to why God exists. There’s a whole group of arguments that attempt to do this, and they ignore things like logic and evidence, and depend on abstract ideas. Read more about theist arguments and why they don’t work.
What are the two major theories of extinction? How do they explain the mass extinctions that have happened on planet Earth? Which theory holds more weight? Theories of extinction can be categorized into two major schools of thought: catastrophism and uniformitarianism. Catastrophists believe extinctions happen as a result of major catastrophes. Uniformitarians, on the other hand, believe in a gradual process of extinction due to evolution. Keep reading to learn about theories of extinction and how they were developed.
Is there proof there is no God? How likely is it that God exists? In The God Delusion, Richard Dawkins explains that while we don’t have definitive proof there is no God, it is extremely unlikely. Particularly when it comes to creationism, arguments tend to be extremely weak. Keep reading to find out whether or not there’s proof there is no God.
What was the Tea Party movement? What are the beliefs of the Tea Party movement and how do these beliefs continue to shape conservative values? The Tea Party movement was founded in 2009 and focused on fiscal conservatism. Fundamentally, the Tea Party believed that their rightful place in the social hierarchy was being taken away, and they were losing their path to the American Dream. Read more about the Tea Party movement and how it shaped conversative values.